Which lipsticks contain lead? Is there lead in lipstick? Does lipstick contain lead? Get answers to all these questions and much more that will include lead free lipstick brands, brands that have lead, lists of lipsticks with lead and much more.
Lead in Lipstick – Do Lipstick Contain or Have Lead?
The presence of lead in lipstick is truly a worrying trend to many people due to the detrimental effects that lead has, being a heavy metal that will be accumulated in the body. Inasmuch as it is a fact that the quantities of lead in lipsticks might be low, it is important to know which lipsticks contain lead and which ones do not contain lead.
Furthermore, you need to know the lead content in lipsticks from the various leading manufacturers. It is unfortunate to not that according to motherjones.com, research reveal that “Lipsticks with traces of lead included one made by Burt’s Bees, which is now owned by Clorox”. Although currently, the content of lead added to lipstick has really been reduced, CDC and FDA cannot determine how safe these lipsticks are to infants and small children.
So is there Cancer Causing Lead in Lipsticks?
We have mentioned that there are some lipsticks, which have been found to be with lead. However, the amount is in trace and according to consumer groups and FDA, the “the presence of trace amounts of lead in name-brand lipsticks, the government maintains that the products are safe for human use.”
Therefore, if you are one of the people caught in the hoax of lead lipsticks and you are afraid of using them, you need to be assured they will not harm you. However, this should not be taken to support the presence of lead in lipsticks.
Where Does Lead In Lipsticks Originate?
Since it is a fact that lipsticks contain lead, you must be wondering the source of lead. Of course, lipsticks have color additives and these color additives are the primary source of lead in lipsticks. FDA has approved cosmetic color additives, which can be used in giving the various cosmetic products including lipsticks the various colors they have.
Lead Free Lipstick – Without, No Lead Lipsticks
Now that most lipsticks contain lead, you might be seeking for lead free lipsticks or lipsticks without lead. Of course, if you searched for lipsticks without or with no lead, you are bound to get many answers and results recommending various products to you. This can cause confusion.
We did a comprehensive research on lead free lipsticks or lipsticks without lead in order to be able confidently to tell you that these are some of the lipsticks with no lead. The only way to be certain that a certain lipstick does not contain lead is if it is made from only natural ingredients and the equipments used for making it do not contain lead.
Some of the lipsticks we found to be listed by many people as to be lead free lipsticks include the following:
- Jane Iredale’s PureMoist LipColours
- Gabriel Cosmetics’ ZuZu Luxe Lipstick
- ILIA Pure Lip Care from Spirit Beauty Lounge
- MUD’s Sheer Lipstick
- Lavera’s Beautiful Lips Lipstick
- Nvey Eco Advanced Care Lip Colour from Spirity Beauty Lounge
- Afterglow Cosmetics– Lip Love Lipstick
- Hygienics–Mineral Pure Lips
We cannot verify or confirm whether the above lead free lipsticks are real or not. We furthermore do not recommend any of the above lipsticks as lead free lipstick.
During the 2007 testing for lipsticks with lead, quite a number of products were found with lead. However, from those tested, the below lipsticks were found to be lead free. Of course, time has passed and you cannot tell if the status is still the same. So what were some of the lead free lipsticks in 2007?
- Avon Ultra Color Rich Cherry Jubilee
- Body Shop Lip Colour Garnet
- Clinique Long Last Lipstick Merlot
- Dior Replenishing Lipcolor Red Premiere
- Estee Lauder Maraschino
- Revlon Superlustrous Love That Red
- MAC Matte Lipstick Viva Glam 1
- Revlon Superlustrous Bed of Roses
- Revlon Colorstay Lipcolor Red Velvet
- Tarte Inside Out Vitamin Lipstick
- Wet N Wild Mega Colors Cherry Blossom
While focusing on lipsticks without lead, do not forget that lead is not the only dangerous chemical that could potentially be in lipsticks.
How to Test For Lead in Lipstick
If you want to know which lipsticks contain lead and those that are lead free, you need to test for the presence of lead. Although specialized testing requires accurate equipments such as mass spectrometers, you can still do simple tests to know if a certain lipstick brand has lead or it is lead free. So, how do you test for lead in lipsticks?
- Clean the surface you want to use for testing for the presence of lead in lipsticks and let it dry. You can use the bark of your hand, on a piece of fabric or paper.
- Coat the surface you are using with the lipstick you are testing and rub gold, copper, pewter or sliver metal piece on your lipstick. Ensure you thoroughly rub it well.
- Wait for a short while to see if the lipstick color will change due to lead that might be present in it.
If you notice a color change to almost black, darker or a discolored smear or streak, there are chances the lipstick could be containing lead. However, there are people who claim the above way to test for lead is not real or does not work.
Alternatively, instead of following the above steps used to test for lead in lipsticks, you can decide to go for a lead test kit. Each lead test kit comes with instructions to follow. Let us know look at lead lipstick list according to FDA data released in 2010 after testing 400 lipstick brands.
Lead Lipstick List According To FDA 2010
We have looked at the details on led in lipsticks and led free lipstick brands. We want now to mention some of the lipsticks, which have been found to contain more amount of lead. This is according to data whose source of is FDA testing of 400 lipsticks in 2010.
| Sample # | Brand | Parent company | Lipstick line Shade # Shade | Lot #a | Lead (Pb)b(ppm) | |
| 1 | Maybelline | L’Oréal USA | Color Sensational 125 Pink Petal | FF205 | 7.19 | |
| 2 | L’Oréal | L’Oréal USA | Colour Riche 410 Volcanic | FE259 | 7.00 | |
| 3 | NARS | Shiseido | Semi-Matte 1005 Red Lizard | 0KAW | 4.93 | |
| 4 | Cover Girl | Procter & Gamble | Vibrant Hues Color Q580 Ruby Remix | 9139 | 4.92 | |
| 5 | NARS | Shiseido | Semi-Matte 1009 Funny Face | 9DLW | 4.89 | |
| 6 | L’Oréal | L’Oréal USA | Colour Riche 165 Tickled Pink | FF224 | 4.45 | |
| 7 | L’Oréal | L’Oréal USA | Intensely Moisturizing Lipcolor 748 Heroic | FD306 | 4.41 | |
| 8 | Cover Girl | Procter & Gamble | Continuous Color 025 Warm Brick | 9098 | 4.28 | |
| 9 | Maybelline | L’Oréal USA | Color Sensational 475 Mauve Me | FF201 | 4.23 | |
| 10 | Stargazer | Stargazer | Lipstick 103 c | 180808 | 4.12 | |
| 11 | Stargazer | Stargazer | Lipstick 103 c | 180808 | 4.06 | |
| 12 | Revlon | Revlon | Matte 009 Fabulous Fig | 08262 | 3.32 | |
| 13 | Sonia Kashuk | Target Corporation | Luxury Lip Color 27 Mauvey | 090464_0511 X564A | 3.12 | |
| 14 | Avon | Avon | Beyond Color 558 Mad For Mauve | AR01 | 3.08 | |
| 15 | L’Oréal | L’Oréal USA | Endless 530 Mauve Amour | FD339 | 2.87 | |
By looking at the above list of lipsticks with lead, you must be in a position to answer a few questions you initially had such as if there is lead in Avon lipsticks, Maybelline, L’Oreal, NARS, Sonia Kashuk, Revlon and other leading brands.
It is unfortunate that Maybelline Color Sensational in “Pink Petal topped the list while L’Oreal Color Richer Volcanic was second. NARS, CoverGirl, Stargaze, Sonia Kashuk, Revlon and Burt’s Bees had at least a brand in the top lipsticks with lead.
Is the Amount of Lead in Lipsticks Dangerous?
You have seen some of the lipsticks that contain lead, you might be so afraid and maybe you will not want to use lipsticks at all. Indeed, you need to be afraid since lead is dangerous.
However, you need to know that since lipsticks are classified as products for tropical use with a possibility of very small amounts being ingested, “FDA does not consider the lead levels that it found in the lipsticks to be a safety concern.” For more insight on lead in lipsticks, see Lipstick and Lead at the FDA site.
The Most Popular Lipstick Colors
- Best Red Lipstick – Cheap, Dark, Apple, Bright, Deep, Blood, Cherry, Brick and Jungle Shades
- How to Wear Red Lipstick – Tips to Put on, Apply, Make, Wearing Red Lipsticks
- Best Dark Lipstick – How to Wear, Glow in the Dark, Trend, Tips, Dark Lipstick Looks
- How to Wear Black Lipsticks- Best Brands, Cheap, Radiance, Opal, Cherry, Honey, Almost Black
- Best Orange Lipstick –Neon, Bright, Burnt, Orange Red & How to Wear Orange Lipsticks
- Best Red Lipstick – For Fair Skin, Black Olive, Dark, Pale, Redheads, Blondes, Brown, Brunettes
- Pink Lipstick – Best Hot, Bright, Light, Berbie, Baby, Pale, Neon and How to Wear Pink Lipsticks
More Lipstick Colors
- Brown Lipstick – Best Dark, Chocolate, Trends and How to Wear Brown Lipsticks
- Lipstick Colors & Shades for Fair Skin, Brunettes, Blondes, Brown, Tan, Black Women
- Green Lipstick Including Mint, Dark, Lime, How to Wear, Green that Turns Pink or Reds
- Best Plum Lipstick Brands – Dark, Deep, Light Shades, Matte, How to Wear
- Best Peach Lipstick – Matte, Light, Dark, Nude, Coral & Peachy Colored Lipsticks
- Blue Lipstick – Best Dark, Navy, Blue Red, Light, Where to Buy or Blue Lipsticks
- Best Gold Lipstick – Golden Red, Rose, Pink and How to Wear, Apply, Use
- Best Purple Lipstick – Dark, Deep, Bright, Light, Red, Pink, How to Wear Purple Lipsticks
- Best Coral Lipstick –Bright, Perfect Coral Orange, How to Wear Coral
- Best White Lipstick Brands – Snow, How to Wear and Where to Buy White Lipsticks
More Topics in Lipsticks
- Best Long Lasting Lipstick – Red, Pure Color, Natural Most Long Lasting Lipsticks
- How to Wear Best Matte lipstick –Red, Pink, Black and Cheap Matte Lipsticks
- Lipstick Case With Mirror, Vintage, double, Antique, Leather, Coach, Wholesale Lipstick Cases
- Best Lipstick Brands – Natural, Coral, Long Lasting, Plum, Nude, for Moisturizing Dry Lips, etc
- Best Nude Lipstick – Top Brands, Pink, Beige, Peach, Matte Shades Nude Lipsticks
- How to Make Lipstick – Recipe, Ingredients, Homemade, With Crayons, Vaseline,
- How to Remove Lipstick Stain from Clothes, Carpet, White Shirt and Other Fabrics
- Natural Lipstick – Best All Natural Brands and How to Make Natural Looking Lipsticks
