Consumer Alert: Cosmetic Safety

All along we kept reminding ourselves with brand motto such as: the more costly a certain brand, we get the quality above expectation. But the truth behind marketing, lies beneath how smart you are as a consumer. Economical, cheap, affordable against highly expensive commodity makes no difference in times when company aims profitable gain. Who cares if you get lead element through your systems? You’re on your own to discover the realities of life.

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We’ve heard so much about product safety, and we need to know more day by day. Below are the lists of survey conducted by United States’ Food and Drug Association [FDA]

FDA Analyses of Lead in Lipsticks – Expanded Survey

The following results for lead content in 400 lipsticks were obtained by Frontier Global Sciences, Inc., under a contract with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA]. The lipsticks were purchased from retail stores between February and July 2010.

First Top 50 lists

Other top consumer brands included in the lists:
Chanel
Lancome
Dior
Clinique
Shiseido
Almay
Colorganics
Victoria’s Secret
Iman Cosmetics
Clarins
BeneFit
M.A.C.
Bobbi Brown
Elizabeth Arden
Rimmel London
Wet ‘n’ Wild
Lori Ann
Estee Lauder Origins

Excerpt from FDA’s Lipstick and Lead: Questions and Answers:

How did FDA follow up on its initial survey of lead in lipstick?

FDA conducted an expanded survey of lipsticks, covering a wide variety of shades, prices, and manufacturers. Four hundred lipsticks available on the U.S. market in the spring of 2010 were tested for total lead content. The selection of lipsticks tested was based on the parent company’s market share. We also included some lipsticks from niche markets in an effort to capture lipsticks with unusual characteristics.

Frontier Global Sciences, Inc., a private laboratory based in Seattle, WA, performed the analyses in the expanded survey, following a protocol consistent with FDA’s validated method.1 The laboratory was required to show continued reliability of the results using specific quality control procedures.

What did FDA’s expanded survey reveal about lipsticks on the market?

The expanded survey found that the average lead concentration in the 400 lipsticks tested was 1.11 ppm, very close to the average of 1.07 ppm obtained in our initial survey. The results ranged from the detection limit of 0.026 ppm to the highest value of 7.19 ppm. For a table of the results, see FDA Analyses of Lead in Lipsticks – Expanded Survey. The expanded survey will be published in the May/June, 2012, issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Science.2

Is there a safety concern about the lead levels FDA found in lipsticks?

No. We have assessed the potential for harm to consumers from use of lipstick containing lead at the levels found in both rounds of testing. Lipstick, as a product intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities. We do not consider the lead levels we found in the lipsticks to be a safety concern. The lead levels we found are within the limits recommended by other public health authorities for lead in cosmetics, including lipstick.3,4

It has been reported that levels of lead in certain lipsticks exceed those for candy. Is this a fair comparison?

No. The FDA-recommended upper limit for lead in candy is 0.1 ppm. It is not scientifically valid to equate the risk to consumers presented by lead levels in candy, a product intended for ingestion, with that associated with lead levels in lipstick, a product intended for topical use and ingested in much smaller quantities than candy.

What are FDA’s next steps for lead in lipstick?

Although we do not believe that the lead content found in our recent lipstick analyses poses a safety concern, we are evaluating whether there may be a need to recommend an upper limit for lead in lipstick in order to further protect the health and welfare of consumers.

How safe is your brand?

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Disclosure: DeiVille receives products in order to conduct reviews. No monetary compensation was provided unless noted otherwise. All opinions are 100% my own. Some posts may contain web links in exchange for payment. In the event of a giveaway, the sponsor is responsible for delivery of the prize, unless otherwise noted in the posting. I only recommend, discuss, or introduce products/services/businesses I personally use and believe will be a good fit for my readers.