Heavy Metals Are A Problem

Heavy metals are showing up in our cosmetics. They are most often attached to those that require color to be a part of the necessary allure. Think foundation, lip products, eye liner, eye shadow and concealer. They also, however show up in things like whitening toothpaste and moisturizer. 

What are they? 

Heavy metals are actually naturally occurring. Even so, that doesn’t make the most common ones such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury safe for us humans. Part of that is due to the process they go through when they are produced as part of the products we listed above and the other part is the how much & how often we are subject to exposure of these heavy metals. 

Heavy metals are best described as a contaminant. They are not necessarily intentionally added to the products we use. They are simply attached to the raw materials used as naturally mined colors. 

What is the issue with heavy metals? 

Well for one their ability to accumulate in our bodies is cause for alarm. For example, for the biopsies done for breast cancer those that were positive showed a higher accumulation of the heavy metals iron, nickel, chromium, zinc, lead and mercury than the biopsies that showed up negative had. 

Such heavy metals have been linked to the toxicity that occurs in your systems such as reproductive, immune and nervous. 

Further, companies are not only not required to show that heavy metals exist in their products, they simply just don’t do so. You won’t find them listed.

You can, however, watch for the following ingredient names:

• Lead acetate

• Chromium

• Thimerosal

• Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil

• Sodium Hexametaphosphate 

Those who are most at risk of the effects of heavy metals are pregnant women, young children and adolescents. 

Anything else I should know? 

This isn’t a small issue. In 2007 61% of the lipsticks tested and on the market were found to contain lead. In 2010 all of the lipsticks tested by the FDA were shown to have lead. In 2013 The University of California tested a batch of lip gloss and found heavy metals in all of them. 

So, what can you do? 

Ask questions. You can ask the companies you purchase products from two questions:

1. What country are your products & pigments sourced from and made? 

2. What precautions are you taking to reduce the risk of heavy metals?

Shop safely. Choose companies who are doing the work for you & giving you the opportunity to buy with confidence. 

Try Sabreen Cosmetics who have put their personal reasons into creating lip gloss and matte lipstick for us. 

(Use code CleanBeautyForBG15 to get 15% off your order)