Toxic Heavy Metal Pigments

[empirical]

There is a lot of concern about talc, parabens, and propylene glycol, but the more toxic heavy metal pigments are often overlooked. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium, manganese, and others were detected in many common brands of lipsticks and glosses in this UC Berkeley study (https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1205518/). Most of the lipstick you apply, you ingest, and since heavy metals aren't easily eliminated from the body, they can build up to toxic concentrations overtime. Just FYI, the definition of an "inorganic pigment" is a little hazy. "Inorganic" is typically referring to some chemical that contains at least one atom from the yellow and green block on this periodic table (https://sciencenotes.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Periodic-Table-Color-2016.png) and it may also contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. "Organic pigments" do not contain any of those yellow & green block elements and are primarily made of C, H, O, N--but other atoms such as silicon and fluorine may appear. Be advised that the chemistry definition of "organic" doesn't mean "safer." For example, all organophosphate nerve gases used in WWII are "organic." And not all "inorganic pigments" are toxic, ex: iron oxides seem to be entirely benign. My concern is with the less discussed pigments in eyeliners--specifically tin oxide. I've read warnings about carbon black being placed as a possible carcinogen (by the International Agency for Research on Cancer), but you are exposed to carbon black anytime you're near a fireplace or a grill. Organo-tin compounds (compounds containing both carbon and tin) are notoriously deadly. While tin oxide is reportedly less toxic, are they really harmless? For comparison, organo-lead compounds *and* their oxides are both highly toxic.

[Anonymous]

I was literally talking about certain heavy metals being found in certain items just yesterday with my mom. 😞 It's sad that they're found in so many places, like our makeup and even certain ceramic houseware. 

I just briefly read over that study to see if they mentioned any brands (so I can stay away), but they didn't. I saw that lead was found in traces of 3-12%, but isn't any amount of lead detrimental?! Especially since chronic toxicity exists.. I seriously hope metals in cosmetics are more regulated and closely observed in the future, especially because the industry is growing so large and so quickly. 

[empirical]

The FDA set an upper limit of 10 ppm of lead. The website below lists a table of brands tested and amounts of lead detected. This data is straight from the FDA. https://draxe.com/is-your-lipstick-toxic/ Link to the FDA study below and if you scroll they have links to an expanded survey. https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Products/ucm137224.htm#initial_survey