FDA Suggests a Limit on Lead in Cosmetics (Or, a Friendly Reminder Not to Eat Your Lipstick)

A new report from the FDA suggests a limit on lead in cosmetics as of last week, officially reminding beauty companies of the due diligence they must do to create and sell a product that contains the metal—especially with lip products, which can easily be swallowed, as well as all externally applied products, which can be absorbed through the skin. According to official FDA documentation, the agency is proposing a maximum of ten parts per million for lead in all lip makeup (think: lipsticks, glosses, liners, and yes, even lip kits) as well as a slew of externally applied products, too, which include makeup, plus skin- and hair-care items like eyeshadows, blushes, body lotions, and shampoos. All of this, though, made me a bit weary, to be honest. Why draft new guidelines now? As Refinery 29 notes, the FDA has always turned a bit of a blind eye to the controversial use of lead in cosmetics, even after a 2007 report conducted by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found lead in over 60 percent of American-made, mass-market lipsticks, including, at the time, the beloved Dior Addict range.

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Maybe they decided to push out the paper pre-Christmas because the FDA knew you'd be getting beauty gifts, or maybe it's because the FDA Cosmetics Safety Act hasn't been updated since—wait for it—1938. It's because of that very act that the FDA can only regulate cosmetics after they've been produced (unlike a drug, which is rigorously test beforehand). So if you're wondering, "Um, why didn't this come earlier?" it's because the agency isn't given that jurisdiction. This antiquated bit of bureaucracy is one of the reasons California senator Dianne Feinstein is sponsoring the Personal Care Products Safety Act, as a move to revise these outdated (and potentially dangerous) policies.

Until then, though the FDA issued draft guidance, not a legal mandate. In the report, the agency is quick to remind consumers that their surveying of almost 700 cosmetic products (in four separate experiments) found more than 99 percent of products currently on the U.S. market to meet the 10 ppm max rule with each and every item. However, a few products did fall above the maximum threshold—ones we're thinking you need to hold off on using for now. Specifically, one eyeshadow, Clarins Paris Mono Couleur 19 Ice Blue, and one blush, Lancome Blush Subtil 8 Brun Roche, which were both found to contain 14 ppm, four parts per million above the recommended ten.

That 10 ppm max that's been recommended by the FDA isn't random or arbitrary; it's also the exact point at which cosmetics can be swallowed or absorbed through the skin that will not result in detectable levels of lead in the blood, the agency confirms. "We concluded that up to 10 ppm lead in cosmetic lip products and externally applied cosmetics would not pose a health risk," the report reads.

But allow us to call a spade a spade. Lead is a toxic metal—even in small quantities, and especially to children. "Recent science could indicates there is no safe level of lead exposure. Lead is a neurotoxin and can be dangerous at small doses," states the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. "Medical experts are clear that any level of lead exposure is unhealthy." According to the CDC, lead has been linked to learning deficits, language and behavioral problems, reduced fertility, hormonal changes, and menstrual irregularities, among other conditions.

But don't deep six your lip paints just yet. In the draft guidance, the FDA was able to confirm that "the low levels of lead we found in the surveyed products indicate that the manufacturers were likely to have sourced their ingredients appropriately and to have used good manufacturing practices in order to achieve low levels of lead in their finished products." Fine. But what about that K-beauty stash you've been silently pilfering from Amazon, or the Icelandic skin-care routine you can't ditch six months after your return home from that trip? The FDA can't sign off on those. "We are aware that some cosmetics from other countries contain lead at higher levels," the agency reported. "This makes guidance on recommended maximum lead levels all the more important as more products are imported into this country."

As for the rest of your beauty buys, though, I wouldn't worry too much. New Jersey-based cosmetic chemist Ginger King tells Allure that most American-made brands self-regulate the maximum amount of lead—including the portfolio of brands owned by big guys Estée Lauder and L'Oreal—and have an impurity check in practice before any lipstick, lotion, or cream hits a retail shelf.

But because there's no way (yet) to ensure that the FDA covered every single product, I also asked King to point out any red flags one should look for when reading the ingredients on a beauty product's package. "If an ingredient label has 'lead acetate,' don't use it," King says. One product that tends to have lead in it? Hair dye, she tells Allure. Specifically, the boxed kind for men. However, "lead acetate is not a banned material, but rather, the concentration of it used in a product [is what really matters]," King says. She also says to be mindful of formulations with high pigmentation, or ones with mica, a mineral silicate that lends shimmer, but can also contain naturally occurring lead. If you really want to play it safe, "light matte colors contain less pigments, and have a lower chance of impurities."

I've reached out to the FDA for further comment, and will update this post as soon as I hear back. (A spokesperson promises me answers by end of day.) In the meantime, don't freak out. How about distracting yourself by learning 7 completely surprising facts about Beautyblenders?

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Watch what happens when BuzzFeed staffers try edible beauty products (that definitely don't contain lead):