Topic: Lead In Lipstick
By: Dina ElBoghdady
Date: February 14, 2012
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/400-lipstick-brands-contain-lead-fda-says/2012/02/14/gIQAhOyeDR_story.html
Date: February 14, 2012
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/400-lipstick-brands-contain-lead-fda-says/2012/02/14/gIQAhOyeDR_story.html
Summary
A recent federal analysis showing that 400 shades of popular lipstick contained trace amounts of lead has exacerbated an ongoing dispute between regulators and consumer activists over how much lead is safe in cosmetics. Five lipsticks made by L'Oreal and Maybelline, owned by L'Oreal USA, ranked among the top 10 most contaminated of the cosmetics, according to testing by the Food and Drug Administration. Two Cover Girl and two NARS lipsticks also landed in the top 10, as did one made by Stargazer. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has been pushing the government to set limits for lead levels in lipsticks. However, the FDA has denied that the amount of lead in lipsticks did not pose any safety threats. Reports of lead in lipsticks have dated back since in the 1990s. In 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics have been working hard in testing 33 red lipsticks to find that two-thirds of them contains lead and later in the year 2008, they tested 20 lipsticks on their own to gain more analysis and concluded that there were 400 shades of lipsticks that had linked with lead. Halyna Breslawec, of the Personal Care Products Council and council's chief scientist, says that lead inside lipsticks and in other cosmetics wasn't intentional because the color additives from the approval of FDA contained the traces of lead found naturally in soil, water, and air. The mystery of how much lead should be in cosmetics still remains unsolved although FDA has also done some of their research and testings. The FDA states that there were no safety concerns with the lead levels they have found but the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics had different results. This group also did the same research that the FDA did for Maybelline's Pink Petal and claims that it had twice the levels of lead than what FDA has reported. In 2008, California has also faced this issue. The state attorney general's office would provide reasonable warnings to the public if the chemicals were known to cause cancer or reproductive harm. Consequently, the data they collected for the levels of lead in lipsticks were too low to initiate a law and would only warn the consumers until the problem arise to five parts per million. Thus, ending with no further action.
Reflection
It's crazy that all these years of all the advertisements I've been seeing on the internet of L'Oreal has been associated with lead makes me even more disappointed of the fact that companies and business still expose many people to dangerous threats without informing them the undermining cost of buying a product that enhance personal looks. Especially, for all the ladies out there too because it is very common that they use these to look beautiful. The thought of lots of people that are using lipsticks and cosmetics really hits me because whats the point of selling something that you don't even know what it can possibly do. I feel sorry for the majority of the females that may be shocked after seeing that it can causes health problems or already going through with it in their lives. Lipsticks is such a widespread product that everyday millions of people around the world have used it can be affected at any second. Lead is a dangerous chemical that can build up in our bodies over time and as well it can increase the risk if we consistently use it. I know some cosmetics that are used directly on the skin and I think that it is harmful because it absorbs it into the body. Lead is everywhere around us and we don't realize it as it can be anything other than cosmetics. The government should put in more effort and that education can help the public to be more aware of what they are putting their hands on.
A recent federal analysis showing that 400 shades of popular lipstick contained trace amounts of lead has exacerbated an ongoing dispute between regulators and consumer activists over how much lead is safe in cosmetics. Five lipsticks made by L'Oreal and Maybelline, owned by L'Oreal USA, ranked among the top 10 most contaminated of the cosmetics, according to testing by the Food and Drug Administration. Two Cover Girl and two NARS lipsticks also landed in the top 10, as did one made by Stargazer. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has been pushing the government to set limits for lead levels in lipsticks. However, the FDA has denied that the amount of lead in lipsticks did not pose any safety threats. Reports of lead in lipsticks have dated back since in the 1990s. In 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics have been working hard in testing 33 red lipsticks to find that two-thirds of them contains lead and later in the year 2008, they tested 20 lipsticks on their own to gain more analysis and concluded that there were 400 shades of lipsticks that had linked with lead. Halyna Breslawec, of the Personal Care Products Council and council's chief scientist, says that lead inside lipsticks and in other cosmetics wasn't intentional because the color additives from the approval of FDA contained the traces of lead found naturally in soil, water, and air. The mystery of how much lead should be in cosmetics still remains unsolved although FDA has also done some of their research and testings. The FDA states that there were no safety concerns with the lead levels they have found but the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics had different results. This group also did the same research that the FDA did for Maybelline's Pink Petal and claims that it had twice the levels of lead than what FDA has reported. In 2008, California has also faced this issue. The state attorney general's office would provide reasonable warnings to the public if the chemicals were known to cause cancer or reproductive harm. Consequently, the data they collected for the levels of lead in lipsticks were too low to initiate a law and would only warn the consumers until the problem arise to five parts per million. Thus, ending with no further action.
Reflection
It's crazy that all these years of all the advertisements I've been seeing on the internet of L'Oreal has been associated with lead makes me even more disappointed of the fact that companies and business still expose many people to dangerous threats without informing them the undermining cost of buying a product that enhance personal looks. Especially, for all the ladies out there too because it is very common that they use these to look beautiful. The thought of lots of people that are using lipsticks and cosmetics really hits me because whats the point of selling something that you don't even know what it can possibly do. I feel sorry for the majority of the females that may be shocked after seeing that it can causes health problems or already going through with it in their lives. Lipsticks is such a widespread product that everyday millions of people around the world have used it can be affected at any second. Lead is a dangerous chemical that can build up in our bodies over time and as well it can increase the risk if we consistently use it. I know some cosmetics that are used directly on the skin and I think that it is harmful because it absorbs it into the body. Lead is everywhere around us and we don't realize it as it can be anything other than cosmetics. The government should put in more effort and that education can help the public to be more aware of what they are putting their hands on.