Are You Ingesting Poison From Your Makeup? 3 Toxic Ingredients To Look Out For In Your Lippies

Lipsticks, Lip Glosses and Lip Balms are a fast moving beauty product and loved for their different finishes from matte to high-gloss, and a wide variety of shades you can choose from to suit any look – but have we ever considered what really goes into this staple beauty product in a woman’s makeup arsenal?

Most of us don’t really know how toxic regular lipsticks can be –  a frightening thought, considering that statistics show that an average woman will eat about 7 pounds of lipstick in her lifetime. This means that chances are you’re ingesting a small dose of toxic ingredients every time you apply it on your lips and lick your lips, have a meal or take a sip of your drink!

In the spirit of ingredients education and empowering you to make an informed decision the next time you’re buying makeup, we want to help by introducing 3 toxic ingredients that are commonly found in your favorite regular lippies:

Methylparaben

A very common ingredient in lipsticks used for its antifungal and preservative properties, Methylparaben is flagged as a restricted ingredient in Europe due to its potentially carcinogenic (particularly skin cancer) and endocrine-disrupting properties.

Unfortunately, savvy consumers who are on the lookout for such ingredients, may not always appear on the ingredient list even if used. As such, it’s safer to look for products with no parabens altogether.

Retinyl Palmitate

Used primarily in “anti-aging” products due to its antioxidative properties, Retinyl Palmitate is a synthetic derivative of beneficial vitamin A. However, despite its benefits for skin appearance (exfoliant for smooth and soft lips), it comes with a wealth of issues ranging from skin cancer risk to developmental and reproductive problems.

If you cannot avoid using this ingredient altogether, make sure to avoid direct exposure to sunlight (since that is what causes it to produce toxic chemicals).

However, if you are pregnant, you should not take any chances with this ingredient at all.

Lead and Heavy Metals

Despite claims by the FDA, that majority of cosmetics contain safe levels of lead, many independent studies show otherwise.

In fact, independent studies shed further light on other dangerous heavy metal contaminants (like titanium, and aluminium) that also show up in non-safe amounts in lipstick products.

While these are not ingredients that manufacturers purposely add into their products, and are naturally occurring in the process of manufacturing, it is the concentration of these contents that are worrying.

Lead amongst all the heavy metals is one of the most commonly found neurotoxins found in lipsticks. The biggest issue with it is that it can lead to problems ranging from discolouration of the lips to neurodevelopmental problems in children or even miscarriages and infertility.

 

Opt for Toxic-Free and All-Natural Lipsticks Instead!

Worried about the side effects of these toxic chemicals when you ingest them while wearing your lipsticks? Not sure you trust what the ingredient labels are saying?

Well, here’s some good news! There are now all-natural and organic beauty brands that offer chemical-free and “safe to eat” lipstick options that you can choose from.

At Liht organics, we offer lipsticks and lip glazes made from ingredients that are safe enough to eat, so you can have peace of mind and rock your pretty pucker safely!