Paul Penders – Natural Herbal Skincare Products

Natural Lipstick: Why Your Lips Need To Go Organic

Posted on 02. Feb, 2010 by marcel in Herbs & Ingredients, Natural Organic Products

Did you know that a regular lipstick user consumes about four to seven pounds of lipstick in her lifetime?

Lipstick has been around for 5,000 years and it is one cosmetic that will never go out of style. Like stiletto heels, lipstick is a fashion accessory that, properly used, allows a woman to capture a man’s attention like no other. Lipstick outsells every other type of beauty product, and even women who don’t use makeup like blush and eyeliner usually have some lipstick on hand.

Trouble is, everytime you lick your lips you’re ingesting a tiny amount of your lipstick. Commercial lipsticks are potentially harmful because of the synthetic colors used. D&C colors (drug and cosmetics colors) give an amazing spectrum of colors in lipstick—but they are approved by the FDA for cosmetics, not for FOOD!

The FDA guidelines for approved synthetic FD&C and D&C colours concern only their lead and arsenic content. There are no guidelines for their allergic or carcinogenic properties.

Since the early 90s, Paul Penders has stopped using artificial colors in his products, which was a bolder move than you think. Now we can’t make our shampoos and other liquid products in lovely glowing colors and ship them in transparent bottles (oh, the sacrifices we make).

Synthetic colors are not the only problem. Many commercial lipsticks are a witch’s brew of petroleum-based chemicals. Special-feature lipsticks will also contain certain chemicals and minerals to create their effects: bismuth compounds are used for giving that pearly sheen, silicon oil keeps the lipstick on your lips longer and mica particles gives a glittering effect. And don’t forget synthetic fragrances and artificial flavors for scent and taste.

These items are not deadly poisons like lead, but the companies selling these lipsticks will have to test them for allergies and other side effects, and that of course means animal testing.

All in all, it’s a vicious cycle of health and ethical issues—all of which you can avoid just by switching to natural organic brands of lipstick. Producers of natural organic lipsticks cannot possibly produce the range of colors that can be obtained by synthetic dyes, but at least you can go ahead and eat our lipstick. And don’t worry – they’re still sexy enough.

Tags: cosmetic safety, d&c colors, FDA guidelines, lipstick color, lipstick ingredients, natural lipstick