FDA issues a friendly reminder not to eat your lipstick. A new report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests a limit on the use of lead in cosmetics, reminding beauty retailers of the maximum level of lead when creating and hocking products containing the metal — especially in lip products, which can be easily swallowed, as well as externally applied products, which can be absorbed through the skin.
Though, “lead occurs naturally in the environment, and its occurrence, as an impurity, in cosmetic products can’t be avoided. FDA has taken action whenever necessary to remove products from the market that contain lead at unsafe levels,” a statement reads.
In an attempt to do so, the agency has proposed a maximum of ten parts per million for lead in all lip makeup (for example: lipsticks, glosses, liners, lip kits – a la Kylie Jenner) as well as a long list of products like eyeshadows, blushes, compact powders, body lotions, shampoos and progressive hair dyes containing lead acetate.
As for the significance, prior to said guidelines, the law didn’t require…
…cosmetic products or ingredients, other than color additives, to have FDA approval before hitting the market. In fact, aside from being “properly labeled” and “safe when used according to their directions,” cosmetic firms weren’t required to share their safety data with the agency – until now.
While most mainstream make-ups generally contain less than 10 ppm of lead, a handful of brands – including those outside the states — contain higher amounts of the metal, the FDA says.
As you may recall, this certainly isn’t the first time the FDA issued draft guidance (not a legal mandate) on the use of the toxic metal. In October 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) reported finding lead in a small selection of lipsticks on the market. “Recent science could indicate there is no safe level of lead exposure. Lead is a neurotoxin and can be dangerous at small doses,” states the campaign. “Medical experts are clear that any level of lead exposure is unhealthy.”
According to the CDC, lead has been linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and hearing impairment in children, reduced fertility and menstrual irregularities in women, as well as a long list of less severe neurological and behavioral effects like: depression, lethargy, decreased libido, and reduced IQ scores, among other conditions.
Of course, this information was enough for FDA scientists to develop a new method for analyzing lead content “in several hundred cosmetic lip products on the U.S. market, including 20 from CSC’s report that were still available. We used a more common extraction method to find the lead content in additional cosmetic lip products. We used both of these methods to find the lead content in a total of 685 cosmetics on the U.S. market.”
Meanwhile, the FDA reports that “more than 99 percent of the cosmetics” reviewed, tested for “less than 10 ppm lead.” In other words, cosmetic brands in violation, such as Clarins Paris Mono Couleur 19 Ice Blue and Lancome Blush Subtil 8 Brun Roche — both found to contain 14 ppm — should have no problem adhering to the new guidelines, by selecting ingredients and following proper manufacturing practices.
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