Roses Are Red, Lipstick (Still) Has Lead
AlterNet. By Stacy Malkan. Photo:Julia Freeman-Woolpert. Any day now, President Obama will name the head of the Food and Drug Administration, and the question is: Will the new FDA revive its passion for the public interest, or continue giving consumers the toxic kiss off? Case in point: lead in lipstick. More than a year after health groups in the U.S. reported that top-selling lipsticks contain lead, FDA is sitting on the results of its own research.
Meanwhile, new tests reveal that lipstick isn’t the only make-up with a heavy-metal problem. Health Canada announced last week that if found lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium during routine testing of children’s face paints. The results were immediately announced to the public as the government evaluates next steps.
Health Canada is also conducting a major review of chemicals in cosmetics, and creating an “ingredient hotlist” to prevent harmful chemicals from entering beauty products in the future.