Lead in Lipsticks
In a testing by the FDA, it was revealed that 400 shades of lipsticks contained some amounts of lead in them. The top 5 lipsticks that contained lead were owned by Maybelline and L'Oreal, major names in the makeup industry. Campaigns such as The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has been trying to get government regulations on lead levels in lipsticks. However the FDA has not done anything, instead insisting that the amount of lead does not pose any safety risks. The highest lead concentration was 7.19 parts per million. When confronted that the same levels of lead in candy is considered a risk, the FDA defends themselves by saying the comparison was unfair because candy is consumed while lipstick is not intended for consumption.
Thankfully lipstick is not something that everyone absolutely needs to use. But that does not justify the amount of lipsticks that have considerable amount of lead in them. When people purchase lipstick, the first thing on their mind is not exactly, "which one of these has the least amount of lead" because people are not aware. They will most likely buy the name brands that everyone knows, which ironically is the most dangerous for them. It's true that the FDA is right about the comparison being unreasonable, but that does not mean there shouldn't be a limit in place, just for safety.
Thankfully lipstick is not something that everyone absolutely needs to use. But that does not justify the amount of lipsticks that have considerable amount of lead in them. When people purchase lipstick, the first thing on their mind is not exactly, "which one of these has the least amount of lead" because people are not aware. They will most likely buy the name brands that everyone knows, which ironically is the most dangerous for them. It's true that the FDA is right about the comparison being unreasonable, but that does not mean there shouldn't be a limit in place, just for safety.