Chemicals in our make up - Part 4: Lipstick

Dear Readers,

Here is the 4th instalment of our mini-series Chemicals in our make up focusing on Lipstick!!! 

The request was originally from Bibil, and inspired by an earlier posts about Eczema and cosmetics products: What are the Chemicals in our Make up?

You can catch up the first three instalments here Part 1: Foundation, Part 2: Eye shadow and Part 3: Mascara

Lipstick

Women in ancient Mesopotemia were probably the first women to wear lipstick by crushing gemstones and applying them to their lips. Later the infamous Cleopatra was wearing a red dye coming from a crushed red beetle.

Closer to our time, in England, lip colouring (mix of beeswax and red plants) gained popularity during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Lipstick colour was pretty much confined to red. 

It was again Elizabeth Arden, who in the 1930's, introduced a wider range of colours.

The composition of lipstick of course varies from one brand to another but is usually a solid waxy material mixed a non volatile oil, so it can be spread easily but remains stiff in the tube:

Common compositions use beeswax or carnauba wax. 

Beeswax toxicity can be caused in two ways: By ingesting large amounts or by burning it. Ingesting large amounts of beeswax can result in a serious intestinal blockage. Burning beeswax can expose you to low levels of carbon monoxide. 

Carnauba wax is used to thicken the formulation. Is also used in candy making or pharmaceutical tablet. 

Many different pigments are used. The dyes have to be insoluble in water, so the color will last. Eosin is a commonly used red dye in lipsticks:

From HERE

Many other ingredients insure that the lipstick has the proper texture and melting point. For example, esters of fatty acids (myristates) are sometimes added to give the lipstick 'stickiness'.

Other ingredients include fragrance, preservatives and antioxidants. Toxic and non-toxic alternatives exist for the majority of ingredients.

The major problem with Lipstick is that it turned out to contain harmful amounts of lead!!! 

Lead, of course, can cause serious health problems such as brain damage and behaviour abnormalities in extreme cases. Pregnant women and young children are at a particular risk as it crosses the placenta and enters the fetal brain interfering with normal development. Lead can be responsible for learning, language and behavioural problems such as lowered IQ, reduced school performance and increased aggression. It has also been linked to infertility and miscarriage. 

Many top brand names have been tested positive for lead as shown in this table HERE.

The FDA, however, has stated that those traces amount of lead do not pose a health risk. Note: Lead has been banned from gasoline for a while, hasn't it ? ;)

Another major harmful component that has been called to be banned from cosmetics is Butyl benzyl phthalate, or BBP, used to make lipstick glossy.

BBP can interfere with the healthy development of breast tissue as this man-made substance is part of the phthalate family of chemicals, which mimic the female sex hormone oestrogen.

Past studies have linked them to birth defects, kidney problems and infertility.

Other components of lipstick include formaldehyde, mineral oil, talc, paraben, iron oxide and bismuth oxychloride:

Formaldehyde is a preservative used as an embalming fluid 

Mineral oil is a petroleum by product that sits on top of your skin to prevent water loss from skin. You can read a very nice review on LabMuffin blog HERE and HERE 

Talc, also called magnesium silicate, is considered safe at a low concentrations, but many studies have shown a link between talc and lung/ovarian/skin cancer. In general, inhalation of the particles are what's harmful. 

Parabens (see my previous post HERE) are used as preservatives for their antibacterial and antifungal actions, so we can keep our creams without them becoming infected. So far, no other component has been as efficient to replace it. Much contraversy has been raised  after extremely low concentrations have been found in breast cancer tumours however more research need to be conducted to confidently link paraben to cancer. Paraben is found naturally in some plants such as blueberries and most parabens used in products have the exact same formula. However it has been shown with confidence that some people can become allergic to it and should avoid it or else could develop dermatitis. - Full review is now available HERE

Iron Oxides are fine powders that give the colour to our product, they are made synthetically in order to avoid impurities, as far as my research extends to they are not considered as irritant or harmful, although of course as their original state is powder, inhaling is never good! 

Bismuth Oxychloride: In its pure form, Bismuth is not safe for cosmetic use. For this reason, Bismuth is refined and combined with other inorganic elements to form Bismuth oxychloride. FDA-approved Bismuth Oxychloride are specified to be free from toxins as it hits the market. In reality, the cosmetic industry’s demand for Bismuth Oxychloride cannot be meet. While its refinement processes is cost prohibitive and is considered not economical, the resulting compound is safe for all skin types, particularly on problematic and sensitive skin types. This is one of the reasons why make up containing Bismuth Oxychloride is very expensive. Perhaps those that have experienced allergic reactions to make up containing Bismuth Oxychloride are cheaper in value.

There are other natural components in lipstick such as Aloe vera Extract, castor oil, cocoa butter, hempseed oil, jojoba oil, lanolin, shea butte, tocopherol.

Although if you are vegan, these might not be suitable to your diet/life style

Jojoba oil is obtained from seeds of the desert shrub, Jojoba. A mixture of Jojoba Oil and hydrogenated Jojoba Wax was not mutagenic.A topical oil product containing 0.5% Jojoba Oil and a lip balm product containing 20.0% Jojoba Oil were classified as nonirritants and nonsensitizers to humans with no known sensitivities. 

Lanolin is a fatty secretion from sheep's wool. Although it's a natural product, it may be contaminated with pesticides used on animals. 

Tocopherols=Vitamin E activity is an antioxidant added to prevent oxidation of sensitive ingredients as well as protect the skin from free-radical damage. It is found in our diet or in supplements; therefore it is safe to assume that it is safe in cosmetics. 

And with this, my dear readers, we conclude our mini-serie Chemicals in our Make up. I have to say, it was hard work!!! I hope you enjoyed it and feel like you have learnt something, I certainly did!!!

To catch up on previous instalments:

• Part One: Foundation
• Part Two: Eye Shadow
• Part Three: Mascara

 See you soon,