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"The news this week had us urgently blotting our lips: The Food and Drug Administration reported that their testing found traces of lead, a well-known poison, in 400 lipsticks currently on the market, including popular brands produced by L'Or\u00E9al, NARS, and CoverGirl. In some cases, the amount of lead\u2014which can cause brain damage if it gets in the bloodstream\u2014is higher today than it was when similar tests were first done in 2008\\\\.\\n\\n\\n\\n                   \\n\\nBut take a deep breath before you tip the contents of your makeup bag into the nearest commode. The agency also stated firmly that it remains confident that consumers aren't in any danger: \\\"We do not consider the lead levels we found in the lipsticks to be a safety concern. The lead levels we found are within the limits recommended by other public health authorities for lead in cosmetics, including lipstick,\\\" the FDA said [ on its website](http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductInformation/ucm137224.htm\\\\#q8).\\n\\n\\n\\nConsumer groups like the [Campaign for Safe Cosmetics](http://safecosmetics.org/) are urging the FDA to take a more aggressive stand on lead, which gets into lipstick as a contaminant during the manufacturing process, not as an ingredient. But just how dangerous it?\\n\\n\\n\\nYou have to be the judge of that. The U.S. government currently bans toys with more than 100 parts per million of lead (down from 300 ppm in 2011)\u2014children, who often chew their toys, are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning\u2014and candy must contain no more than 1 ppm. The average lipstick on [the FDA list](http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductInformation/ucm137224.htm\\\\#expanalyses) has lead content of 1.11 ppm, so we wouldn't suggest eating it by the handful.\\n\\n\\n\\n__RELATED LINKS:__\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n  [Lead in Lipstick](http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/health/2010/lead_in_lipstick)\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n  [Makeup Ideas: Your Perfect Red Lipstick](http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2010/12/makeup-ideas-your-perfect-red-lipstick.html)\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n  [Could Brazilian Blowouts Be Banned Altogether?](http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2011/05/could-brazilian-blowouts-be-banned-altogether.html)"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.allure.com/story/is-lipstick-hazardous-to-your>