Rant: Lead in my Lipstick?!

So, I heard about this lead and lipstick controversy a few days ago on the news.  The story was playing in the background, so I was only partially paying attention until they started naming very well known brands.  According to a survey by the FDA, many of our beloved, trusted, can’t live without it brands have certain amounts of lead in their lipsticks.  I mean… wow.

(Side: It would always weird me out when I’d see a film of “stuff” floating in my tea after I took a sip with lipstick or gloss on.  Lately, I’ve been completely wiping off my lips before I eat or drink anything, so now this lead thing has me even more paranoid.)

How could this be? Lead? In lipstick?? I was appalled when the reporter stated the FDA claimed that there are “suitable” amounts of lead allowed in lipstick since it’s not being consumed.  Uh…….. come again?? We consume and absorb this stuff ALL! DAY! LONG!  What about when we sip from a bottle or a cup?  When we bite into our food? Lick off that little bit of frosting from that cinnamon bun we didn’t just inhale?  If we supposedly don’t consume (or absorb) the product, where does the lipstick we put on disappear to during the day?  It certainly doesn’t evaporate….

I love this lip colour on her, though! (Source: Getty Images)

Here’s what gets me:  All of this lead/chemical/paraben/hexobutylenewhatsitcalled exposure adds up so quickly!  We reapply our products all day long.  We wear them every day.  We slather it on our bodies.  We paint it on our nails.  We massage it into our faces.  We spritz it on our necks.  We line it around our eyeballs.  We put it in our hair (okay, not me, but some of us! where my naturals at?)  Clearly, lipstick isn’t the only source of junk we’re exposed to in a regular day.   Even if it’s a minute amount of lead in each product, how many of these “lead-safe” products do we poison ourselves with use in a day?  Since it all accumulates, any trace of lead in anything is too much, as far as I’m concerned.  And this is JUST lipstick.  What about gloss?  Lip balm? Lip liners??  Le sigh.  Why do we have to potentially sacrifice our health just to look fly?  For a multi-billion dollar industry, these companies have a responsibility to its consumers to do better.  Period.

So, whose leadsticks made the list of shame? Everybody’s!  All your fave brands, from well-known to obscure, are on this here little hit list, and of course, so is MAC.  Such a huge disappointment, yes, but are we surprised by this list? No. (I mean, real talk, have you read any MAC ingredients lists lately? Yowzas.)

Anyway, I weeded out all 42 (!!!) of the MAC atrocities from the FDA’s Leadgate 2012 list after the jump. Smh.

Listed in order of most amount of lead to the least, drumroll please (I’ve never even heard of some of these shades):

• Viva Glam I (listed twice for some reason)
• Metal Maven
• Show Orchid
• Bronzilla (Never heard of this lipstick, but the name is perfection!)
• Frou
• Bubbles
• Bronze Shimmer
• Frenzy
• Bombshell
• London Life
• Baroque Boudoir
• Rock Out
• Viva Glam II
• Shitaki
• Intimidate
• On Hold
• Angel
• Riveting
• Milan Mode
• Sophisto
• Charismatic
• Laugh A Lot
• Empowered
• Utter Fun (listed twice)
• Cosmo
• Patisserie
• Dubonnet
• Retro
• Creme In Your Coffee
• Urgent
• Plumful
• Morange
• Cyber (say it ain’t so!!! I looooooove Cyber!)
• Desire
• Blood Red
• Spice It Up!
• Lady Bug
• Impassioned
• Chili
• Lady Danger
• M.A.C Red

What do you think of Leadgate 2012?? Are any of these lipsticks in your stash?