Tests conducted by the FDA on 22 red lipsticks found lead, a neurotoxin, in every single sample studied. The highest levels were in Cover Girl, Revlon, L’Oreal lipsticks.
The lead found in Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor Maximum Red was 34 times higher than the lead found in the lowest scoring lipstick, Avon’s Ultra Color Rich Cherry Jubilee.
The FDA does not regulate lead in finished cosmetics, only in colors added to the products.
Studies suggest the average woman inadvertently consumes about 4 pounds of lipstick over the course of her life, licking her lips, eating fruit, sipping tea.
Glosses generally tested lower for lead than highly pigmented, opaque lipsticks.
But the best are organic lipsticks.