Is there poison in your cosmetics? There may be lead in your lipstick!
You need to check for several things when buying lipstick. Check to confirm it is cruelty free and is not tested on animals, that it does not have contain lead or parabens, and that it is a lipstick made with healthy ingredients.
While lipstick with lead in it sounds outrageous, when you think about it, it makes sense they would try to use it. Lead makes color adhere and stay put. That’s why they used it in paint for so long. This raises the question of why it’s not allowed in paint anymore, but manufacturers are still allowed to put it in a product you put on your lips and ingest on a daily basis.
Lead is a highly toxic heavy metal that stays in the body and is now known to cause serious neurological problems. Lead poisoning in children led to the banning of lead paint back in 1978! Again, why is lead still allowed in lipstick? It’s because of the way cosmetics are regulated. Because lead in lipstick is a contaminant, not an actual ingredient, you won’t see it listed as an ingredient on a label. You are using poisonous lipstick, and they don’t need to let you know because of this labeling loophole.
Another fact to keep in mind for those of us prone to depression is that lead has been associated with depression. If you struggle with your mood, whether moderately or seriously, take a close look at what you’re putting on your lips.
If you think the incidence of lipstick with lead is rare, keep in mind that in 2009, the FDA tested 20 lipsticks; they found lead to be in all of them!
Here’s another ingredient to avoid: parabens. Many lipsticks contain parabens which are suspected to be hormone disruptors. They’re used as preservatives. Any product containing parabens should avoided. You’ll find them in more cosmetics than just lipstick.
If you think you don’t use that much lipstick and it won’t hurt you, consider that lipstick is just the tip of the iceberg. We are bombarded every day with so many chemicals that our bodies are on overload with exposure to ingredients that are just plain bad for us. You need to start eliminating your exposure to these toxins as much as you can, when you can.
Your skin is your largest organ. What are you putting on it that is being absorbed into your body and is causing you harm?
Cheryl Major
