University of California Research Finds Potentially Dangerous Levels of Metals in Lip Products

Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley conducted a study of 32 different lipstick and lip gloss products commonly sold in drug stores and department stores across the nation. The study found that the products contained lead, cadmium, chromium, aluminum and other metals. In some cases the levels of metals in these products were considered dangerous to women’s health. At the present time, there is no government regulation of lipstick and lip gloss products.

Lipstick and lip gloss are of particular concern because traces of the products are ingested through the mouth. The authors estimate that some users ingest up to 87 milligrams of the product each day.

“Just finding these metals isn’t the issue; it’s the levels that matter,” said study principal investigator S. Katharine Hammond, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California at Berkeley. “Some of the toxic metals are occurring at levels that could possibly have an effect in the long term.”

Professor Hammond is a graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio. She holds a master’s degree in environmental sciences from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Brandies University.

The research was published on the website of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.