Not such Hot lips

Not such Hot Lips

Source: "Applying lipstick" razberriez.com

Cosmetics in today's world is a profitable industry. Popularity of celebrities and looking glamorous has become a big idea for most woman of this generation, however the chemical components that are put inside lipsticks specifically, are harmful and often are not thought of. 

According to the article Concentrations and potential health risks of metals in lip products found in The Environmental Health Perspective Journal by Hammand K., et al., cosmetics contain many harmful chemicals such as ethyl ether, chloride, acetone and lead. Lipsticks and gloss have risen a higher concern due to the potential hazard of being ingested. Research was done on 33 popular brands of lipstick and lip gloss and 61% were found with high levels of lead. Further studies tested different lipstick brands for other metals such as nickle, cobalt, aluminum and copper and then surveyed common daily use by young girls and woman to compare the estimates to existing health guidelines.Titanium, nickle and aluminum were found in all lip products tested and lead was found in approximately half of the products tested. (Hammand K., et all. 2013). Noticeable levels of many of these metals were detected in many of the brands and lead was reported at 3% and 12% being of the highest concentration with high use of lip stick.

Metal concentrations are not regulated by the FDA, however, there are organic and natural lipsticks and balms that are out in the market that can be a great alternative for a lip product if the potential risk of the metals raise a personal concern. Lip sticks and other lip products may raise a potential health risk, however the cosmetics industry is at such a high that this small "potential" risk is not enough to take these products completely off the market. Industry gross product of cosmetic industry in the United States from 2002-2016 is $11.97 billion. Revenue of the cosmetic industry estimates about $56.63 billion a year. (The Statistical Portal). 

Source: www.thefancyface.blogspot.com

 Wear your lipstick ladies, be bold, be glamorous-but just not too much! Too much of anything can be a bad thing!

 References:

Hammond K., Liu S., Rojas-Cheatham A. Concentrations and Potential Health Risks of metals in lip products. Environmental Health Perspective. Jun 2013; 121,6; doi:10-1289/ehp.1205518.

Cosmetic Industry (2013). Retrieved September 19, 2014 from, The Statistics Portal at http://www.statista.com