Mae sure you’re not puckering up with poison.
“Last week, the EcoWaste Coalition screened 70 lipsticks—costing PHP7 to PHP80 each—from 13 discount shops in Divisoria, Quiapo, and Baclaran,” reports Jonathan M. Hicap in the Manila Bulletin.
The report noted that “the products were screened for toxic chemicals using a portable X-Ray Fluorescence device using the following allowable limits under the ASEAN Cosmetics Directive as reference: 1 part per million (ppm) for mercury, 5 ppm for arsenic and 20 ppm for lead.”
The results? Well, 27 out of the 70 lipstick samples contained detectable levels of one or more heavy metals above the limits set by ASEAN.
The report went on to list: “For lead, top 10 samples that contained the chemical beyond the allowed limit were Baolishi #20 (green case) with 18,500 ppm, Baolishi #20 (golden case) 15,600 ppm, Baolishi #20 (yellow case) 14,000 ppm, Baolishi #20 (red case) 3,337 ppm, Baolishi #20 (yellow case) 3,258 ppm, Monaliza #20 (pink case) 2,796 ppm, Monaliza #20 (golden case) 2,613 ppm, Monaliza #20 (with cartoon case) 2,142 ppm, Kiss Beauty #7 383 ppm, Kiss Beauty #8 208 ppm, and Miss Beauty #7 with 72 ppm.”
Meanwhile, Mercury was found the highest in Popa #12 with 90 ppm, Kaixi Beauty #60 with 85 ppm, and Chanleevi #04 with 88 ppm.
High levels of arsenic were detected in Baolishi #20 (green case) with 497 ppm, Baolishi #20 (golden case) 450 ppm, and Baolishi #20 (yellow case) with 421 ppm.
It’s no surprise that “none of tainted samples are listed in the agency’s list of notified cosmetics.”
Photo from MorgueFile
