FDA Remains Silent About Lead in Lipstick

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Emily Lynne Ion

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

More than a year after the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reported that popular brands of lipstick contain lead, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has still not released the results of its own testing of lead in lipstick, despite pressure from senators and repeated calls from health groups.

New reports indicate that the beauty industry's lead problems go further than lipstick. The Canadian government announced last week it found lead in children's face paint. The results were publicly announced immediately as the government evaluates next steps.

Health Canada also announced last week that it has designated two silicon-based chemicals widely used in personal care products - D4 and D5 - as toxic, an important step toward regulating dangerous substances out of consumer products. Unlike Health Canada, the U.S. FDA has no such toxic designation, does not conduct routine safety testing of personal care products, and does not publicly report information in a timely manner -- as evidenced by the lead-in-lipstick situation.

In Oct. 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reported that 61% of lipsticks it tested contained lead. In Nov. 2007, Senators John Kerry, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein urged FDA to test a range of lipsticks for lead, publicly report the results, and take immediate action to reduce consumers' exposure to lead from cosmetic products. Fourteen months later, FDA has made no public statements, issued no reports, and taken no action to reduce consumers' exposure. "The typical turnaround time in a laboratory for lead tests is 10 days. There's no reason for FDA to sit on its lead-in-lipstick research for over a year," said Stacy Malkan of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of health and environmental groups.

"The scientific data is conclusive: Lead in any amount is a health concern. Lead is a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning and behavioral problems, and pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable."

Because lead is a contaminant not listed on lipstick ingredient labels, it's next to impossible for consumers to avoid. You'd have to test every lipstick on the market to know which ones contain lead – testing that shouldn't fall to consumers. But don't let that dissuade you from doing something: sign a petition to let FDA know that lead-free products are important to you, and download our handy pocket guide to safer beauty products for the next time you go shopping.