How to Test for Lead in Lipstick
A lot of women still haven't accepted the fact that their cosmetics could contain a lot of dangerous chemicals. One of the worst is the lead that can be found in many lipsticks, even today. While some cosmetic companies are coming up with new formulas minus the lead, there is still a long way to go. For that reason, more and more women are looking for ways to find out just how much, if any, lead is contained in their favorite brands. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Lipstick
- Paper or cloth
- Metal (preferably gold, although copper, pewter and silver may work as well)
- Lead testing kit
Instructions
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Make certain the area on which you intend to test the lipstick is thoroughly clean. Let it dry before performing the test.
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Coat the underneath side of your wrist or the back of your hand with the lipstick to be tested. If you are uncomfortable doing that, you can use a piece of fabric or paper instead.
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Rub a piece of piece of copper, gold, pewter or silver across the lipstick stain. Be sure to rub the metal in well in order to assure an accurate test. Also wait a few minutes before making a snap determination. Sometimes it will take a few minutes for the color change to take effect because of the amount of lead contained therein.
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Look to see if the lipstick's color has changed; gotten darker or turned almost black. It some cases, it may only leave a discolored streak or smear. If the color goes dark anyway, chances are good that your lipstick contains at least trace amounts of lead.
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Use a lead test kit if the self-test results are unclear. Such kits are available online at sites like those listed in the resource section. In 2009, they cost at least $12.99. Be sure to follow the kit's instructions to the letter in order to obtain accurate results.
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Tips & Warnings
There are an equal amount of conflicting stories that say the lead test above doesn't really work. Therefore, continuing to use the lipstick is a decision that each individual has to make for themselves. Gold is the best metal to use for testing purposes. There are plenty of lipsticks in today's marketplace that do not contain lead. To be safe, switch to one of them. Some claim that the rumors about lead in lipstick are blown out of proportion. They report finding lead in only a handful of lipsticks.
While the amount of lead added to lipsticks is now somewhat limited, older lipsticks may contain higher amounts of it. Even a few new lipsticks continue to use lead, albeit in much smaller controlled amounts. The FDA and CDC both admit that when it comes to infants and children, there is no safe level of lead.
