Luscious Lips or Lead Poisoning?

An recent and alarming study recently conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revealed that over 400 popular lipstick brands contain twice as much lead as previously believed. When you think about how many times a woman applies and reapplies her lipstick over the course of a day, several days a week for years on end, that adds up to a significant, and potentially dangerous lead build up in the body.

The absolute worst offender amongst all those tested, was the Maybelline Color Sensation by L'Oreal. The Maybelline brand had more than 275 times the amount of lead, than the tested brand with the least which was the Wet & Wild Mega Mixers Lip Balm, a brand that is significantly less expensive than Maybelline. This is a rather disturbing finding, since most women would venture to guess that the more money you spend on a cosmetic, the more natural or chemical free it would be.

So what does this mean? Well, lead is a deadly neurotoxin that has the potential to cause learning disabilities, language difficulties and behavioral issues. A neonatal nurse practitioner is well aware of the effects of lead poisoning on women who are pregnant as their babies are at an increased risk. Lead can easily transmit through the placenta and enter the fetal brain where it has the potential to interrupt development. In spite of this frightening fact, the FDA has assured the public, that the levels discovered in all of the 400 lipsticks test within the limits recommended by public health authorities. What we don't know, is how much lead women have been exposed to in the five years before the study! And what of those women who re-apply their lipstick more often than others? And what of the lead levels in our children who are exposed to our lipstick-laden lips all the time? There is certainly more to this story, and perhaps women should be seeking more natural and organic cosmetics to ensure they.