The Most Important Lipstick List You’ll Ever Read:

You know the lipstick you wear, that indispensable cosmetic made of pigment and wax that you ingest on a daily basis? That’s right -- ingest. As in “absorb and take into your body.” Guess what? That lipstick isn’t much different than a wax crayon. Surprised? Check out these Wax Facts:

Glamour magazine reported that women inadvertently ingest about four pounds of lipstick in a lifetime, though no studies back up this claim. Nevertheless, every time a woman licks her lips, she swallows some of the wax, which is what binds the pigment and preservatives, which in turn contain lead.

The pigments used can include iron oxides, dyes, pigments and additives. The color pigments contain aluminum and other metals such as lead. That’s right -- lead. Lead is present, in trace amounts, in almost all dyes and pigments that are used as an ingredient for cosmetic color.

Chronic and constant lead exposure can lead to severe neurological problems, particularly in children, including reduced cognitive abilities, irritability, headache, lethargy, and hyperactivity and in some cases insomnia.

A 2004 survey of nearly 6,000 girls found that 63% age ten and younger used lipstick.

According to study results released by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of nonprofit health and environmental organizations, more than 60% of 33 brand-name lipsticks contain lead.

Presently, lipstick labels do not and are not required to list lead as an ingredient. Even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspects all pigments before they are sold as an ingredient to be used in a cosmetic formulation, all formulations are different, so the amount of lead cannot be determined, thus is not required to be listed as an ingredient. Note: the more pigment used in a formula the higher the lead level. In addition, one-third of these 33 lipstick brands contain amounts of lead that exceed the limit set by the FDA for appropriate levels in candy -- 0.1 parts per million (ppm).


There is no limit set by the FDA for lead levels in lipstick.

Studies shows that the lead levels in lipstick range from 0.03-0.65 ppm. Researchers have yet to test individuals wearing lipstick, especially those lipsticks with high lead levels, to see if those individuals have elevated lead levels in the bloodstream.

Most lipsticks contain anywhere from 3% to 17% pigment. You can test any lipstick to see if the lead presence is high enough to be concerned.

A lead test can be done by applying a streak of lipstick on the hand and then rubbing it. If the lipstick leaves a black faint line -- it contains lead.

Lipstick is made from taking a color mixture and grinding it into oil such as propylene glycol which is readily available and inexpensive to use. Propylene glycol has good solubility and it is quite synergetic with the standards for lipstick production. Propylene glycol has been found to cause cancer.

Lipstick color mixtures are added to wax, such as candellila, bees wax, and paraffin, just like a crayon, which is color pigment mixed with hot paraffin before cooled. The wax for both lipstick and crayons creates binding and molding properties which enable the lipstick and crayon to be formed into a solid.

Lipstick ingredients are melted together with some form of humectants and blended with animal fat oils such as cholesterol and animal-by-products like lanolin. Shea butters and other oils keep the lipstick formula moist and slippery. Sizable amounts of preservatives are used to keep bacteria from growing as well as to keep Shea butters, and the like, from going rancid in the initially warm and sticky lipstick mixture.

While hot, the lipstick mixture is poured into metal molds to maintain its stiffness as it solidifies. A flame is then passed over the mixture to create a smooth and shiny finish, and remove any imperfections. Metal or plastic tubes, capped off either by hand or by machine, are used to contain the cooling mixture then readied for market to be sold as the commonly used substance -- LIPSTICK.

Long lasting lipstick requires more pigment, more heavy wax and other additives.

Manufacturers add aluminum to give lipstick a frosted look. They also add sunscreen and other protective elements to try and create what consumers will think is a more “health-friendly” product.

If you’re wondering where lipstick even came from, historians believe lipstick was probably invented by the Egyptians. In some of their hieroglyphics, the eyes and mouth are detailed with radiant color. To create the ancient cosmetic, Egyptians used vegetable matter colored with cinnabar, plant dye, iodine and bromine carmine known to us today as beetle wings. Some of these ingredients are not considered safe by today’s standards, but as a whole, they are much safer than what manufacturers use in basic lipstick formulations.

Any healthy ingredients like botanicals, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and organic live ingredients are rendered useless in a solid pre-cooked crayon-like wax that we call lipstick.

We’ve been subjected to the “Lipstick Paradigm” for over 60 years with little improvement. Not a lot of thought has been put into keeping lipstick an ECO and sustainable product.

There is a solution. It’s been around for 15 years and just waiting to be discovered by you. A Totally Unique Healthy Answer, with:

Natural Flavored 190 proof corn grain alcohol from the heartland of America
Sun Screens (UVA/UVB)
Moisturizers
Botanicals (certified organic)
Minerals (13 trace minerals)
Vitamins (pharmaceutical grade)
Film Formers/ the same ones used in pill and candy coatings (all natural)
Humectants
More vibrant colors with 90% less pigment (FDA approved)
De-ionized water
Antioxidants
Organic Live Ingredients
Vegan
Kosher
Most important of all- Guaranteed Smear Proof
No animal products or animal by products
No petroleum products
No lacquers
No waxes
No added preservatives
No Glycols
No Parabens
No Urea
No Lead
No Aluminum
Never-cooked
No peanuts or peanut by products


See what was brought back from the future for your healthy conscious lifestyle and enjoy the empowering benefits it creates. Change your life in a nanosecond with our liquid botanical color solution that replaces lipstick for Lips, Brows, Eyes, Face and Lashes -- Lip-Ink ®. Color, the way Nature intended.

Written by the Cosmetic Chief “Lip Diva®” Rose Nichols, President & CEO of http://www.lipink.com/