Finally, someone has begun testing cosmetics - and as was recently discovered, far too many have unacceptably high levels of lead. This is not to be confused with the urban myth that lead causes cancer - it doesn’t, but it can do a whole lot of other bad things to you. While the FDA considers certain low levels to be “acceptable” as a naturalist, of course I disagree.

Look for your brand on the chart:

For easy reference, those with the least (but still some) lead are at the top, those with the most are at the bottom.

Here’s a quote that alarms me from a representative of the cosmetics industry:

“Consumers are exposed daily to lead when they eat, drink water and breathe the air,” said John Bailey, an executive vice president at the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. “The average amount of lead a woman would be exposed to when using cosmetics is 1,000 times less than the amount she would get from eating, breathing, and drinking water that meets Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards.”

We may be exposed to lead daily, but that exposure is not acceptable. Lead poisoning is a serious issue, and I would say anything with the capacity to reduce your IQ (an effect of lead poisoning) isn’t just bad news, it’s terrifying.

Fortunately, our mainstream cosmetics providers are not the only game in town.

I’m very disappointed to find Burt’s Bee’s, a forerunner of the natural cosmetics movement, on this list at all. Unfortunately, they’ve been in the process of a long slide.

That said, there are natural cosmetics brands - and natural artisans - out there that will give you some lead-free options, just because of the ingredients they use. On Etsy, it can be hit or miss - Naiad Arts seems to have some safe enough stuff, but I feel a bit uncomfortable speaking for anyone who is not part of the Etsy Green and Clean Guild. It’s up to the honor of the artisan to comply with FDA regulations, and there are some bath and body sellers on Etsy who aren’t 100% compliant.

I’ve used Aubrey Organics for years, as a light, natural cosmetics option. Their lip coloring does tend to wear off a little fast, but it is moisturizing, and if you’re the sort who knows how to use a lip brush and create a base on your entire mouth with lip pencil first, you can get some decent mileage out of their colors.

While Aveda will be brought up as a natural cosmetics option of choice, I want to point out that they were bought out by Estee Lauder recently, and Estee Lauder is on the list where lead was discovered. There has already been a degradation in product quality - I recently purchased an item or two from Aveda, and from reading the ingredients, it was clear to me that the commitment to organic products had deterioriated.

On the other hand, co-op and health food store favorite Ecco Bella, has remained true to its origins - and is a brand I often use and enjoy. The ingredients on their FlowerColor lipstick reads: Castor oil, isopropyl palmitate (from palm oil), candelillia wax, 100iu Vitamin E, organic calendula oil, organic chamomile oil, organic jojoba oil, flower wax coated iron oxides. May contain carmine. Not too bad - carmine does negate it being vegan, however, since it is a red coloring that comes from squished bugs. Their Long Lasting lip crayon, however, troubles me a little bit: Castor oil, hydrogenated cocoglycerides, carnauba wax (from palm oil), phenyl trimethicone (from silica), candelilla wax (from candelillia plant), tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E), retinyl palmitate (Vitamin A), mica, titanium dioxide and flower wax coated iron oxides. May contain carmine.

Most of this I get - the hydrogenated cocgylcerides are derived from coconut fat. But the phenyl trimethicone I can’t trace, and I’m a little concerned since there is testing going on regarding the long-term effects of exposure to silica metals.

Earth’s Beauty has some interesting-looking lip pencil-type products with an ingredients listing I am far more comfortable with, although from looking at other non-certified organic  brands, I’m finding too much use of  titanium dioxide. (If ingestion is a risk, what is the pigment doing in lipstick?)

European line Sante cosmetics is staying true to its organic mission. Everything they use is safe and well-tested; the only downside - they use beeswax and lanolin, which rules them out as a vegan option.

I’m also finding a lot of “natural” lipsticks with zinc oxide pigment - where one of the safety indicators is that there shouldn’t be skin contact (and given the repeated skin contact lipstick requires, this also doesn’t make sense to me). Because I know someone will mention it, I looked into Dr. Hauschka’s: the lipsticks contain titanium dioxide.

There are many “natural” and “organic” cosmetic brands I’ve wound up skipping listing on here. Either they contained zinc or titanium dioxide, or the store did not give the full ingredients listing which is a violation of FDA (and quite probably EU) regulations. There’s a lot of lipstick out there - but not a whole lot of all-natural, all-safe, vegan friendly lipstick.