Let’s face it. We all love lipstick. It makes us feel pretty. When we were little girls, most of us looked forward to the day our mom’s would let us start wearing it.
Now, as adults, it’s the final step to our makeup routine. We feel naked without it.
So, let’s be realistic. Lipstick isn’t something we’re going to give up without a fight.
But I have something to share with you that will help you choose a healthier kind of lipstick.
I just saw the results of a study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials that found numerous toxins in lipstick.1
One of them is lead. It’s absorbed into your body through your skin. You also swallow it when you eat and drink while wearing lipstick.
Then the lead builds up in your body. And it takes over 40 years to get it out.
This is not something to gloss over. It can cause many symptoms…
One of my patients confided that she was feeling anxious and achy during the day. She had no idea what could be causing it. She ate well, exercised, and was pretty happy otherwise.
But then we took a look at her cosmetics. They contained high levels of toxic chemicals. Including high levels of lead in her lipstick!
Lead makes you anxious and depressed. You get headaches and muscles aches. Toxic levels cause allergies, skin problems, and even cancer.
If you’re pregnant and wearing lipstick, you should know lead can cross into the placenta. It can cause learning, language, and behavioral problems such as lowered IQ in your unborn child.
According to one well-respected source, women eat 4 lbs of lipstick in a lifetime. That’s not my idea of a good lunch!
Recently, when the FDA tested 30 lipsticks, they came up with these top five to avoid:2
| Cover Girl: | Incrediful Lipcolor | #964 | Maximum Red |
| Revlon: | ColorStay Lipcolor | #345 | Red Velvet Composite |
| Cover Girl: | Queen Collection | #Q580 | Ruby Remix |
| Body Shop: | Lip Colour | #22 | Garnet |
| Cover Girl: | Continuous Color | #435 | Cherry Brandy |
But now for the good news, ladies…
You can buy lipstick without high levels of lead. And it has nothing to do with the price. Some of the least expensive brands have lipsticks with almost no levels of lead. Other more expensive brands can have very high levels.
You can also go to the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database to see how your favorite lipstick measures up. Use this as a guide before you buy.
Or, switch to organic, toxic-free cosmetics such as Lavera, Ecco Bella, or Aubrey Organics. Burt’s Bees lip gloss is also safe and will help you avoid much of the problem.
Best Wishes for Health and Beauty
Tara Smith, ARNP, NP-C
[Ed. Note: Tara Smith, ARNP NP-C, is a board-certified nurse practitioner for Dr. Sears’ Center for Health & Wellness in Royal Palm Beach, FL. Her medical concentration is on aesthetics, teaching and family practice. Tara is conducting research trials into novel ways of naturally boosting HGH and working on a new book, on anti-aging for women.]- Gondal, M., Seddigi, S., Nasr, M. Gondal, B. “Spectroscopic detection of health hazardous contaminants in lipstick using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy.” Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2010 March; 175(1-3):726-732.
- Hepp, N. “Determination of total lead in lipstick: Development and validation of a microwave-assisted digestion, inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometric method.” J. Cosmet. Sci. 2009; 60:405–414.