5 HARMFUL CHEMICALS IN LIPSTICKS YOU SWALLOW UNKNOWINGLY
Pucker up for the bullet of truth!
Lipstick has a curious history. A bold statement lip is associated with royalty and wealth — often, an unabashed display of brimming confidence and self-worth. At other times, it’s tangled with lust, prostitution, the devil and trickery.
In Cleopatra’s time, a combination of natural and organic, yet harmful chemicals were incorporated into makeup products. This lethal concoction of harmful chemicals included bromine mannite, iodine, and a red dye extracted from… crushed bugs!
While we’ve come a long way from ingesting crushed bugs, it’s important to be equally curious about the harmful chemicals in your non-organic and natural lipsticks! This is especially worrisome when the average woman reportedly applies up to 9 pounds of lipstick in her lifetime and swallows 30 percent of it and more!
Not sure what harmful chemicals are in that top-selling, non-organic and natural lipstick you swipe on every day? Read on to learn more about the 5 harmful chemicals in your non-organic and natural lipstick you swallow unknowingly!
1. Synthetic Harmful Dyes
Not all dyes are harmful, especially organic, natural minerals and iron oxides that impart rich color. However, traditional, non-organic and natural lip makeup products are notorious for being loaded with a ton of synthetic, harmful chemical colorants. Many of these harmful chemical colorants are derived from aluminum (“lake” dyes) and coal tar, the former being water insoluble (won’t dissolve upon contact with water) and the latter a byproduct of petroleum and potential human carcinogen. These harmful chemical colorants may be contaminated with low levels of heavy metals that are harmful to the brain.
In particular, “Brilliant Lake Red R” has been connected to contact dermatitis and severe skin irritations! If topical application is irritating enough, imagine ingesting such a harmful chemical!
2. Heavy Metals
Metals in our lipsticks sound scary enough — but heavy metal? In 2007, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested a random sample of more than 30 non-organic and natural lipsticks for lead. The result? 20 out of the 30 lipsticks were contaminated with lead, with the highest levels found in those from leading cosmetic brands! Other research supports this, and some even expand upon it — in 2013, a team of researchers at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health found harmful lead, as well as cadmium, chromium, aluminium and more in both drugstore and designer lipsticks and glosses! This is particularly worrisome especially when such makeup products are absorbed and eventually ingested, bit by bit, after a period of wear time!
3. The Paraben Preservative Duo: Methylparaben and Polyparaben
Methylparaben & Polyparabens function as preservatives in traditional, non-organic and natural makeup products by inhibiting growth of unwanted nasties (e.g. mould, mildew). While they can help to extend the shelf life of non-organic and natural lip makeup products, they are also known estrogen disruptors that can wreck regular, healthy hormone signaling. A comprehensive study conducted by scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health even found solid evidence that markedly higher urinary paraben concentrations in the ovarian reserves was linked to impaired fertility in women!
4. Tocopheryl Acetate
This synthetic, harmful chemical is a specific form of Vitamin E that’s commonly found in traditional, non-organic and natural skincare and makeup products. It is an antioxidant used in non-organic and natural lipsticks as a skin-conditioning agent. However, the Environmental Working Group has classified tocopheryl acetate as a “moderate risk” because it may cause peeling, hives, blisters and more on the skin.
Despite all this, you can rest assured that the tocopherol used in Liht Organics’ organic and natural lip makeup products, such as the Ultra Nourishing Lip Butter, Moisture Burst Lip Glaze and Color-Intense Liquid Lipstick is all naturally derived with no harmful chemicals! There is little difference between natural, organic and synthetic forms of tocopherols but with Vitamin E, natural is always better!
5. Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A)
We’ve already covered the adverse health effects of the non-pregnancy safe, harmful chemical retinyl palmitate in this article here. More commonly known as Vitamin A, retinyl palmitate is used as a synthetic preservative and antioxidant in traditional, non-organic and natural lipsticks. While it helps to extend their shelf life, retinol compounds may break down and produce free radicals that damage DNA and cause genetic mutations. Once it has been applied to the lips, it is quickly absorbed into the skin (and ingested, if you happen to accidentally lick some of your lipstick off)! It happens. Why not take the extra precaution to make sure that this DNA damageand all that nasty stuff doesn’t happen to you?
It’s easy to make the switch today! Liht Organics’ fully vegan, organic and natural lip makeup products contain beneficial, nourishing ingredients such as Jojoba, Coconut and Castor seed oil. Liht Organics’natural and organic lip makeup products are also free from synthetic, harmful chemical colorants and use only natural forms of preservatives.
Talk about natural and organic lip makeup products that love you back! Explore Liht Organics’ fully vegan, organic and natural beauty products, including lip makeup products that contain no harmful chemicals online here today!