Super Eco

Photo credit: swamibu, flickr

From the How the Heck Do They Let This Keep Happening Department: your lipstick is full of lead. Still. Including natural brands. After two years of reports and legislative proposals documenting the issue.

Sigh.

As Earthfirst reports, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reported back in 2007 that 61% of the popular lipstick brands it tested contained up to 0.65 parts per million of lead. What may surprise you is that even so-called "natural" brands such as Burt's Bees were found to contain lead. And we're literally eating this stuff every time we lick our lips, eat or drink.

“Lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels," notes Mark Mitchell, M.D., MPH, president of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice. "The latest studies show there is no safe level of lead exposure.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confesses that it has not lowered what it considers acceptable lead levels in part because “there is no evidence of a threshold below which adverse effects are not experienced.” The CDC recommends avoiding all sources of lead exposure.

Is there nowhere to turn? The FDA hasn't done a thing about the issue, and California bill to ban lead in lipstick died in 2008 after massive industry lobbying (go figure). Ingredients lists don't seem to list "lead" as an ingredient, so dodging the bullet can be problematic at best. Our best suggestion at this point: consult the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' lipstick report for a complete list of lead-free options.