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Potential health hazards of lipstick

A test of lipsticks commissioned by a German consumer protection magazine has found more than half of them to be potential health hazards.

Oeko-Test (Eco-Test) reported in its August issue that of the 306 lipsticks tested - 21 different brands and various shades of colour - 121 had received a failing grade and 44 a grade of “unsatisfactory.”

The magazine said many of the lipsticks contained paraffins and synthetic substances such as silicones that could gradually be “licked off” the lips and accumulate in the body.

The lipsticks which got positive assessments were mainly from makers of natural cosmetics and contained no aniline, a suspected carcinogen. The laboratory that conducted the test found no tartrazine in these lipsticks either, a dye that the magazine said was thought to cause intolerance reactions such as itching and a rash if it entered the body.

One of the lipsticks deemed “very good” is from a discount drugstore chain and much cheaper than the natural cosmetics.

Oeko-Test said that lipsticks of a single brand were not identical in quality. Sometimes certain shades contained potentially harmful dyes while others did not.