What's Really in the Lipstick You Wear Every Day
Think about the last time you put on lipstick. You probably checked the shade, maybe the finish. But did you check the ingredients?
Almost nobody does. We read food labels. We read the back of the shampoo bottle. But lipstick gets a pass, even though it's the one beauty product that goes directly on your mouth.
And here's the part most of us never think about: some of it doesn't stay on your lips.
The beauty product you eat
Every time you sip coffee, eat lunch, or lick your lips, a little lipstick goes with it. Then you reapply. Then it happens again. Over a day, a week, a lifetime of wearing it, that adds up.
That's why what goes into lipstick matters more than what goes into almost any other cosmetic. Foundation sits on your face. Mascara sits on your lashes. Lipstick ends up, in small amounts, inside you.
What researchers have found
This isn't a conspiracy theory. It's been studied.
The FDA has tested hundreds of lipsticks sold in the U.S. for lead, and found trace amounts in the large majority of them. The agency says the levels it found are not a safety concern, and it has since issued guidance recommending lead in lip products stay below a set limit. But the fact that guidance was needed at all tells you something: lead was showing up often enough to warrant one.
A study by researchers at UC Berkeley tested dozens of lipsticks and lip glosses and found trace metals in many of them, including lead, cadmium, chromium, and aluminum. The researchers noted that heavy daily users, the people who reapply many times a day, could be taking in more than they'd expect.
Why are metals in lipstick at all? They aren't added on purpose. They typically come along with the pigments and raw materials that give lipstick its bold, long-lasting color.
More than metals
Trace metals get the headlines, but they're not the only thing worth a second look. Flip over a conventional lipstick and you'll often find:
- Synthetic dyes, listed as FD&C or D&C colors followed by a number
- Parabens, a family of preservatives many people now choose to avoid
- Petroleum-derived ingredients, like mineral oil and petrolatum
- Added fragrance, which can hide dozens of undisclosed ingredients under one word
None of these are banned. Most are permitted in cosmetics. But "permitted" and "something I want on my mouth five times a day" are not the same standard.
A different way to wear color
I'm Dr. Jenna, founder of Earth's Daughter. When I started reading lipstick labels, I didn't love what I found, and I couldn't find a tinted product I felt good about putting on my lips every day. I believe you shouldn't have to choose between what's best for your family and what's best for the world. That goes for your makeup bag too.
So we made Earth's Daughter Tinted Lip Balm. It gives you a soft, buildable wash of color, made with organic ingredients like organic beeswax and organic coconut oil, tinted with plant pigments. It's petroleum-free, paraben-free, Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free, and made in the USA.
It's not a bold, matte, 12-hour lipstick, and it isn't trying to be. It's color you can wear every day without wondering what you're swallowing with your morning coffee.
Read the label, then decide
Here's my only ask: tonight, pick up the lipstick you wear most and read the ingredients. If you like what you see, great. If you don't, there's an easy swap.
Our Tinted Lip Balm comes in a variety pack of shades, so you can find your everyday color without committing to just one.