Even a minuscule amount of lead is a big problem, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics spokeswoman Stacy Malkan said. "What the companies will often say is, 'There's a little toxin in one product, and you can't say it causes harm,' " she said. "But none of us uses just one product."
Lead is a neurotoxin that accumulates in the body over time, which is why tiny amounts ingested regularly (or, in the case of lipstick, multiple times per day) could be hazardous.
Not everyone sees lead in lipstick as such an issue. "Lead is in our environment, even without all the industrial production of chemicals," said John Bailey, chief scientist for the trade association Personal Care Products Council. "It's part of the Earth ... I don't think it really warrants these alarmist conclusions."
Right now, concerned lipstick lovers have few options. "The only way to find out if your lipstick has lead is to send it to a lab and pay $150," Malkan said. "I think that's ridiculous, to expect consumers to do that."
It's considerably easier to find out if your mascara contains mercury. Traditionally added as a preservative, the substance is rare in cosmetics these days. When it exists, it's generally in cake mascaras, such as those made by Paula Dorf and La Femme, rather than wand versions. It may be listed as thimerosal, a mercury-based compound.
In eye-area cosmetics, the FDA allows mercury if no other effective preservative is available. The concentration can be up to 65 parts per million. That may not sound like much, but the presence of mercury in any amount worries some people.
"It's a potent neurotoxin that can cause brain damage in developing fetuses," Malkan said. "Many women get mercury from fish and other sources. We don't need any more."
Bailey said the FDA uses a voluntary reporting program for cosmetics ingredients; the program has no current registrations that report mercury being used in the eye area, he said.
"We certainly can't count on a voluntary reporting program," Malkan said. "We need a real reporting system."
To see whether any products you use contain mercury or other potentially hazardous ingredients, she recommends the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Web site (www.cosmeticdatabase.com), which lists information on more than 27,000 cosmetics and personal-care products. That may seem like a high number, but it's a small fraction of what's on the market, Malkan said.
The Skin Deep site gives each product a 1-to-10 "hazard score" and offers detailed information on its ingredients. But it analyzes only over-the-counter products. Salon treatments are not examined — and for controversial ones such as the Brazilian Keratin treatment, that's unfortunate. The BKT, as it's known, is a hair-straightening process that has smitten women in search of silky, frizz-free tresses. It also contains formaldehyde, a carcinogen.
"I love the way my hair looks. I'm so happy with it," said Roche client Lauren Stempler, who has gotten the Brazilian Keratin treatment twice. "But it's a hard choice. ... There is that nagging feeling in me that it might not be worth it."
