Published on November 27, 2014
Lipstick is an integral part of every woman’s makeup kit. Women rely on lipsticks to enhance their look in an instant but the coats of this beautifying cosmetic product may just be filled with chemicals. Appealing or not, some of the lipstick brands are toxic and dangerous.
Certain cosmetic brands put lead in their lipsticks, and heavy exposure to this toxic chemical can cause some serious health issues. We often base our purchase on FDA-approval, but cosmetic products are said to be the least regulated categories by the FDA. Most women use lipsticks on a daily basis, they apply generous amounts and also touch-up lipstick their colour through the day. The more lipstick you use the more lead you ingest.
Lead does not get added as an ingredient in the lipstick during the manufacturing process, but comes from the colorant used. Long-term exposure even to small amounts of lead can affect the nerves and cause brain damage, learning deficiencies, language problems, lower IQ, hormonal imbalance, infertility and miscarriage.
Certain lipstick brands also use aluminium, which acts as a stabiliser to stop the colours from bleeding, and is extremely toxic. Lipstick brands often use petrochemicals, which are detrimental to human health. Before buying any lipstick, read the ingredients label carefully and check for toxic chemicals like
Formaldehyde-a preservative and a carcinogen, Mineral oil-it blocks pores, Talc, Parabens-a carcinogen, Bismuth oxychloride-also a known carcinogen, cadmium, cobalt, titanium, manganese, chromium, copper and nickel.
There are a number of herbal cosmetic brands that sell natural or plant-based lipsticks. These brands include All Natural Cosmetics, Dr. Hauschka, Honeybee Gardens, Isabella Catalog, Natural Solutions, Pristine Planet, Skin Botanica etc.
Organically made lipsticks should consist of ingredients like Aloe Vera Extract, Beeswax, Candellila Wax, Carmine, Carnauba Wax, Castor Oil, Cocoa Butter, Hempseed Oil, Iron Oxide, Jojoba Oil, Lanolin, Mica, Shea Butter, Titanium Oxide, Tocopherol, and Ultramarine etc.
However, vegan users should look into all ingredients used to make a natural lipstick as certain natural ingredients may not be vegan in nature. For instance, Carmine is taken from an insect and is not a vegan ingredient. Beeswax is derived from bees and Lanolin is derived from sheep and thus these are also not vegan elements.
