Popular lipsticks test positive
for lead
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
finds lead in top brands including L'Oreal, Cover Girl and Christian Dior.
October 12 2007: 10:21 AM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A
significant proportion of lipstick manufactured in the United States and used by
millions of American women contains surprisingly high levels of lead, the
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics said Thursday.
According to new product tests,
61 percent of the brand-name lipsticks tested contained detectable levels of
lead, which can be toxic if ingested.
The top brands testing positive
for lead included L'Oreal Colour Riche "True Red," L'Oreal Colour Riche "Classic
Wine," Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor "Maximum Red" and Dior Addict "Positive
Red."
The companies were not
immediately available for comment.
One-third of the tested
lipsticks exceeded the Food and Drug Administration's limit for lead in candy --
a standard established to protect children from directly ingesting lead, the
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics said. Pregnant women and young children are
particularly vulnerable to lead exposure.
Although lipstick products are
also ingested into the body, the FDA has not set a limit for lead in lipstick,
the CSC said.
The FDA "has set strict limits
for lead levels allowed in the colors used in lipsticks," according to John
Bailey, the executive vice president for the Science Cosmetic, Toiletry, and
Fragrance Association. "The products identified in the Campaign for Safe
Cosmetics report meet these standards."
"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. The latest studies show there is no
safe level of lead exposure," Mark Mitchell, M.D., MPH, president, Connecticut
Coalition for Environmental Justice, said in a statement.
The lead tests were conducted
by an independent laboratory over the month of September on red lipsticks bought
in Boston, Hartford, Conn., San Francisco and Minneapolis. 
Neways new "True
Touch" Cosmetics being released this month will have NO lead in the lipsticks.
