© Ruven Afanador
Beauty
You want your lipstick to look good, but you also want it to be safe for you. Here's what you can try if you're on the lookout for lead-free lipsticks right now
Whether you're wearing a simple nude shade through the day or swiping on a bold red hue for a night out, the lipstick bullet is a must-have in most people's makeup routine. More often than not, you're likely reapplying the colour a couple of times through the night or day, in a large part thanks to the fact that you're licking it off as you eat, talk or swallow. But could you be swallowing lead in the process too? Doctors and researchers say that there are small quantities of heavy metals like lead, aluminium and cadmium in many lipsticks, which when they build up over time in the body, can be harmful.
According to the FDA, while the maximum of 10 millimetres per million of lead that is permissible in lipsticks won't cause much harm, applying it a multiple times and using it consistently over years may be toxic, as metals like lead tend to build up and stay in the body without getting broken down. According to Delhi-based dermatologist Dr Kiran Sethi, “Only really high quantities of lead can cause problems like blood disorders, brain damage, loss of concentration and other conditions." She suggests reading the ingredient list carefully and only buying makeup products from reputable brands and sources, cautioning against any adulterated, un-tested picks. Celebrity makeup artist Tanvi Chemburkar likes to lean on the side of caution too, saying that lead has been linked to long-term heart issues and hormonal imbalances. It is important to note that lead is usually found thanks to some of the colour pigments in lipsticks and is usually not an actually added ingredient, so the amount is usually very tiny.
Now more than ever, people are turning towards clean beauty. Non-toxic hair colour, ammonia-free shampoo and 10-free nail polish are on people’s checklists, so it only makes sense now to add lead-free lipsticks to our list of must-have essentials. Here are some of our favourite ones.
Bobbi Brown Lipstick in Nude
Clarins Joli Rouge Lipstick
M.A.C Satin Lipstick in Retro
Revlon Moon Drops Lipstick Crème in Orange Flip
Disguise Cosmetics Lipstick in Nude Poet
Kiro Live-in Creamy Matte Lipstick in Sandy Nude
Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick Matte Finish in Do No Wrong
Soultree Lipstick in Nude Pink
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