Oct 13, 2007 5:00 am US/Eastern
Detectable Levels Of Lead Found In Lipstick Brands
Are You Puckering Up To Poison?
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Want to put your best face forward this fall, fashion experts suggest lipstick, and the bolder the better. But as CBS 2's Consumer Reporter, Kirstin Cole, tells us, certain brands may have you puckering up to poison.
Toys made in China aren't the only products with lead in them.
So are a number of brand name lipsticks, according to the consumer advocacy group, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
"What they did was in four different cities across the country they bought lipsticks off the shelf and tested it for lead," explained Dr. Mark Mitchell with the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, a member group of the Campaign.
In independent tests, the group found one-third of tested lipsticks exceed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's limit for lead in candy - a standard established to protect children from directly ingesting lead.
More than half of 33 lipsticks tested contained detectable levels of lead. Among the top brands testing positive for lead were:
-Dior Addict "Positive Red"
-L'Oreal Colour Riche "True Red"
-L'Oreal Colour Riche "Classic Wine"
-Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor "Maximum Red"
"Lead is a neuron-toxicant, that is it affects the brain and nervous system," said Dr. Mitchell who warns repeated, daily exposures to low levels of lead can add up and contribute to lower IQ levels and learning disorders like ADD and others in unborn children.
Yet the FDA has not set a limit for lead in lipstick. And can't protect yourself by reading labels--since lead is never listed as an ingredient.
Why is it there? Dr. Mitchell said, "lead is often used as a colorant."
Now the group is calling on make-up manufacturers to remove lead and demand the FDA more strictly regulate cosmetics.
But in a statement the association representing the cosmetic industry said:
"...lead is not intentionally added to cosmetics. Lead is a naturally occurring element that is found everywhere in the environment." "Despite the negligible levels of lead found in some lipsticks, cosmetic companies are committed to reducing that level even further."
The good news is that the tests show it is possible to make lipstick without lead: 39 percent of lipsticks tested had no detectable levels of lead, and cost doesn't seem to be a factor. Some less expensive brands had no detectable levels of lead, while the more expensive had higher levels.
Today, the FDA said they will investigate. In the meantime, to find out how your favorite lipstick fared, click on the following link:
http://safecosmetics.org/newsroom/press.cfm?pressReleaseID=26
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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