Lipstick has long been a staple in the allure toolkit of millions of women around the world. Each year, brands sell about 900 million sticks of lipstick worldwide, including roughly 300 million in Europe.
What’s inside a lipstick tube?
While lipstick is the glamour asset for women, its formulation is far less glamorous… Do you know what your favorite lipstick is made of?
The ingredients of conventional lipstick
In a standard lipstick tube, i.e., non-organic, you’ll find:
- des cires pour la consistance du rouge à lèvres; the stick must stay solid in its tube, yet be able to melt and spread on the lips.
The waxes used can be animal-based (beeswax), plant-based (candelilla, carnauba, jojoba) or synthetic (synthetic fatty esters, silicone oils).
To avoid synthetic waxes, don’t buy lipsticks that list on their label ingredients like ozokerite or microcrystalline wax, which are mineral substances derived from various saturated hydrocarbons.
- des huiles pour répartir les pigments et pour donner l’aspect brillant comme l’huile de ricin par exemple. Notez que le gloss, brillant par essence donc, contient de l’huile de paraffine, une substance provenant de la pétrochimie.
- Des conservateurs pour éviter les microbes ; il peut s’agir des fameux parabens, soupçonnés d’être des perturbateurs endocriniens.
- de la vitamine C et E provenant d’huiles végétales.
- des graisses pour l’onctuosité (triglycérides, ester de glycérine, ester myricique, alcool gras).
- des filtres solaires comme le dioxyde de titane et l’oxyde de zinc.
- des colorants comme l’oxyde de fer (nanoparticules) et du phosphate de manganèse. Les pigments qui donnent leur teinte aux rouges à lèvres représentent la partie la plus chère du produit.
The ingredients of organic lipstick
Organic lipsticks often wear less well than standard ones. They also offer a narrower color palette. However, they unquestionably deserve to be preferred to their synthetic counterparts, given their composition!
Organic lipsticks contain:
- Des huiles naturelles comme l’huile de jojoba pour l’hydratation.
- Évidemment, des ingrédients pour nourrir les lèvres, comme le beurre de karité.
- Des huiles essentielles pour le parfum.
- De la cire d’abeilles ou végétale.
La couleur naturelle est obtenue grâce à des pigments minéraux ou d’origine naturelle. Dans tous les cas, un rouge à lèvres bio ne contiendra ni colorants artificiels, ni conservateurs artificiels, ni parabènes, ni produits d’origine animale (sauf la cire d’abeilles). De même, il n’aura fait subir aucun test sur les animaux.
What’s the difference between one lipstick and… another lipstick?
A very legitimate question, given the enormous price difference among lipsticks on the market. So, if on average you can snag a good-quality lipstick for around $12 or $15, some sticks proudly carry price tags as high as $40, when not $50!
The consumer group 60 Millions de Consommateurs conducted its study on 18 lipstick tubes. Of the five top performers judged on quality criteria—hold, ease of application, finish, color, etc.—the prices varied dramatically!
The test results
The brands that emerged as big winners in this test were Guerlain, Bourgeois, Yves Rocher, Dior and PB Cosmetics.
What also tipped the scales in their favor is that these lipstick sticks, while offering strong coverage, are free from heavy metals like lead. However, their wear isn’t exceptional.
Thanks to this test, one can see that lipstick price does not determine quality.
Price, not a reliable indicator
Thus, the Guerlain tube at the top of the rankings costs around 30 euros, while the PB Cosmetics lipstick (5th out of 18), a discount makeup brand, costs only 1 euro, excluding shipping. The discount lipstick will be somewhat less covering and will likely wear off sooner; however, testers rated its quality as quite decent. The price difference stems from lower costs: no advertising, online-only sales, no packaging, and especially no celebrity spokespersons that brands pay a fortune to promote the product! Its owner also admits that his lipsticks contain slightly fewer pigments than the others.
In any case, know that brands, whatever the label, source the exact same raw materials from the same wholesalers. Proof that it’s the dream they sell that costs so much!
Lead in lipstick
It’s a fact you’ve probably read about dozens of times: the vast majority of lipsticks contain lead. This heavy metal can cause abdominal pain, migraines, fatigue, dizziness, etc.
Several studies aimed at determining the real consequences of lead in lipstick have already been conducted. In 2007, the American consumer advocacy group launched the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics following a study that revealed lead in many lipsticks. Analyzing 33 different lipstick brands, the group found that 66% of products tested contained lead.
Lead traces stood between 0.03 and 0.65 ppm, which is relatively low, but since lipstick sits on mucous membranes, lead can come into contact with food. Moreover, the study found that the most expensive lipsticks were often the ones with the highest levels!
Lead in varying quantities
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) conducted its own survey of 400 lipsticks available on the U.S. market. The result was clear: all the lipsticks tested contained lead, though in varying amounts. The average detected was about 1.11 ppm (parts per million), with some brands reaching as high as 7.19 ppm. Among those with the highest readings were Maybelline and L’Oréal, at 7.19 and 7 ppm respectively.
Lead is naturally present in the environment, but it also stems from human activity. It is a neurotoxin that can cause behavioral problems in children. So, exercise caution for young girls who like to borrow mom’s lipstick! Pregnant women are also particularly at risk.
Does my lipstick contain lead? To find out, you can perform this simple test: smear a bit of lipstick on your hand; rub a gold ring across the lipstick; if the lipstick changes color and turns black, then it contains lead…
Reposted article
