Most women can't live without their lipstick; it is a vital part of a lady's make-up bag and her choice of shade serves to accentuate her look. There is a colour for every occasion and every complexion, and whether your favourite is poppy red, neutral peach or rich plum, it is likely to be on your lips every day when you leave the house.
But have you ever given any thought to what goes into your lipstick? As it is on your lips so much of the time, you are likely to ingest at least some of it into your body. In fact, research suggests that the average woman will consume at least 4lbs of lipstick over their lipstick-wearing lifetime.
Unfortunately there are some very commonly used ingredients used in cosmetics that you probably would not want to ingest. Did you know that lipsticks can contain crushed beetles? If you can find reference to 'Carmine', 'Cochineal' or CI 75470 in your lipstick ingredients, then yours does indeed have beetle shells in it.
Crushed insects
Carmine is usually created by boiling dried cochineal insects in water, filtering the hard matter and then treating the solution with alum. It takes 70,000 insects to make one pound of cochineal dye!
Beetle shell may seem to be an unusual ingredient for lipsticks but it is an effective red pigment which is used in a range of cosmetics. As well as lipsticks, it is found in make-up base, nail polishes and some baby products. Outside of the cosmetics world, it is also used as a food dye, and is sometimes found in such foods as ice cream, strawberry milk and fruit juices.
However, crushed insect shells are not the only undesirable ingredient that you might find in your lipstick. Research from 2004 shows that as many as 28% of lipsticks contain suspected carcinogens (cancer-causing agents).
Coal tars and artificial colours
There are a number of ingredients commonly used in lipsticks that are thought to have carcinogenic properties. Many of these ingredients are the colourants used to achieve the huge variety of shades that lipsticks come in.
Coal tar derivatives are used to create a range of colours which may be pleasing to the eye but may not be so good for your health. Some coal tar colours have already been banned and almost all have been found to cause cancer in animals. In addition, they are very common sources of allergic reactions in some people, causing skin rashes and hives.
Artificial colours may be problematic in lipsticks as many have not been tested for carcinogenicity and, like coal tar dyes, can cause allergic reactions.
The following are colours which are recommended to avoid: CI 45425, Brilliant Blue FD&C (CI 42090), Acid Yellow 23 (CI 19140) and Sunset Yellow (CI 15985). However, there are so many questions hanging over synthetic and coal tar colours that it is certainly not exhaustive.
Natural and organic lipsticks: non-toxic beauty
If you are concerned about the content of your lipstick, don't worry; there are safer alternatives out there. Choose a natural and organic lipstick without coal tar derivatives, artificial colours or crushed insects and you can still enjoy your look, without worrying about what you are applying to your lips.
