Does lipstick contain lead?
Lead became an ingredient in cosmetics beginning in ancient Rome, when women whitened their faces and reddened their lips with lead-based paint. In Medieval and Renaissance Europe, women’s faces were painted with a mixture of white lead and chalk. Small amounts of lead continue to be used in certain cosmetics to this day.Testing for Lead?According to a Truth or Fiction website on lipstick with lead, an e-mail has been circulating since 2006 which claims certain brands of lipsticks contain lead. The e-mail advised women to test their lipstick by putting some on their hand and then rubbing the lipstick smear with a 24-karat gold ring—if the lipstick color turned black, lead was present. This e-mail test is unscientific and does not, in fact, reveal the presence of lead.Lead LevelsDespite the unscientific “test,” there is actually some truth to the e-mail—a number of popular lipstick brands do contain trace levels of lead, according to the Mayo Clinic.Cosmetic TestingAccording to the
