Cosmetician Sarah Muzzatti (right) says lipstick is the most commonly used cosmetic product.
photo by sahba khalili

The ugly side of beauty was revealed last week, with an American study showing that two -thirds of name brand lipsticks have more than six times the acceptable levels of lead,  a known cancer-causing agent.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, an American group for consumer-rights looked at 33 common lipsticks and found that more than 60 per cent of them had large lead levels.  
According to Canadian standards, lead is banned for use in cosmetic products.
But a representative for Health Canada said that there are no controls in place to manage the “manufacturing process which products undergo.”  
Manager of the Humber spa, Antonietta Perretta, said lipstick is everything for a lot of girls.
“They won’t even leave the house without wearing lipstick. They feel like they don’t exude confidence if they don’t have their lipstick on.”   
The testing exposed the highest levels of lead in the industry’s iconic shades of red, with the worst grades allotted to cosmetic giants L'Oreal’s Colour Riche brands and Cover Girl’s Incredifull Lipcolour.
In a statement to the public, L'Oreal said it “proudly stands behind” its products.
“Each and every ingredient used in our products has been thoroughly reviewed and tested by our internal safety team made up of toxicologists, clinicians, pharmacists and physicians.”  
Program coordinator for Humber’s chemical engineering program, Rebecca Milburn said lead occurs naturally in any sort of pigment.
“Red lipstick is one of the ones where lead occurs the most naturally and the highest,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter if it’s lipstick or blush or paint – that pigment is going to contain the lead.”
 “One of the problems with lead is that lead accumulates in your body. You don’t get rid of it so it builds up over time.”
Professor of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Toronto, Dr. Jack Uetrecht said that lead is absorbed through the skin poorly.
“Even absorption of lead through the digestive system is very low.”
He said children are more susceptible to lead toxicity than adults, because the neurological effects are more dangerous to them.
According to Uetrecht, high concentrations of lead can result in problems in behaviour and language, learning disabilities and lowered IQ.
Pregnant women are more susceptible to lead exposure since it has been linked to infertility and miscarriage.
Yet some women say the recent findings won’t shake their use of cosmetics.
Second-year business administration student Matthew Moniz said, “It’s not going to stop me from kissing a hot girl, that’s for sure.”  
Health Canada will be conducting their own testing in the next few weeks to confirm or deny these findings.
If the study’s findings prove to be true, Health Canada will take action to remove those products from the shelves, according to its spokesperson.