Well, first, have you ever read something like this in an email?
Subject: Fw:All About Lipsticks
*This is a Lipstick Test of the ” Lead “, Lead is a Chemical, and it will cause Cancer. Recently a Brand Name called, “Red Earth”. They decrease their price of Lipstick from HK$67 to HK$9.9, because they have lead.
Please send this information to you friends or your girl friends.
Brand Name Contain Lead
1. Christian Dior 4
2. LANCOME 2
3. CLINIQUE 2
4. Y.S.L 5
5. ESTEE LAUDER 3
6. SHISEIDO 2
7. RED EARTH (Lip Gloss) 2
< 8. CHANEL (Lip Conditioner) 2
9. Market America-Motives lipstick 0 (If the number of lead is high, that means it more easily to cause Cancer)*After this test, we found Y.S.L. lipstick are the most beautiful lipstick when u wear it, but because of contain lots of lead, so it is not easy to “REMOVE”. I believe everyone love to wear lipstick, now here is a test that you can do it yourself:
1. Put some lipstick on your hand,
2. Use a 24k-14k Gold ring to scratch on the lipstick.
3. If the lipstick color changed to Black color; it means this lipstick has Lead.
Be Smart everyone! When u buy a product, quality is very important.
From Source
I know, I’ve read something like that, and worse, I believed it! Well, it’s a past tense so I’m glad that I’m well-informed now to share to everyone that this is definitely a hoax, or an urban legend.
Years ago, I was one of the million , if not billion receipients of this email. I think I was in highschool way back then. My classmates were talking about it, well, about their mom’s posh makeup brands that is, since we weren’t allowed to wear makeup in school yet. We slowly shrugged them off, and moved on with life. ( Heck, it was more important to pass in our History exam than prove that a lipstick was fatal that time! Haha! )
My interest in this was somehow revived about a year ago. Some friend of mine was a direct seller of cosmetics and skin care, and agreed to do a demo for me and my friends. I was wowed on how the toner would not go flammable for it had no alcohol content, and all, and at some point in the demo, she pulled out the gold ring she had in her finger, and placed some lipsticks on the table. She swiped the lipsticks on the gold ring, as she makes everyone sees that the “streak” had darkened, indicating the presence of lead. She, then gets the lipstick that she is selling, and swipes it on the ring, to show us that the streak hadn’t darkened. I think, everyone, at that point in time, actually believed my friend who was presenting.
I found myself doing some google searches to check if this was indeed valid, and I really really felt a lil bit dumb, when the search results were full of “hoax”, “urban legend”, that said that it wasn’t true at all!
The reasons were,
This fear-mongering email is long on misinformation and short on verified facts. Laboratory tests have shown that some name-brand lipsticks sold in the U.S. do contain trace amounts of lead from the dyes used in their manufacture, but the lead content of these coloring agents is strictly controlled by the Food & Drug Administration to meet currently accepted safety standards and pose no serious health threat, according to a statement from the American Cancer Society.
From Source
Well, I kind of agree with this reason because whyelse would the FDA allow lethal lipsticks to be sold in the market? Even if the ring turned dark with the lipstick, it doesn’t mean that it contained lead -it was just how gold reacts when scratched on various surfaces. Even the alleged author, r. Nahid Neman of the breast cancer unit of Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto, does not exist! That was a really , really bad prank.
Cancer is a serious matter that one would avoid these lipsticks even if the validity of the email wasn’t verified yet. It hit, straight on the nerve!
What could be the reason for spreading such harmful, and disturbing email, causing fear and despair to the vain, and not so vain? Could it be a direct attack to the listed high end brands above? Was it a product of too much competition in the beauty industry?
Or, is it a conspiracy to make the pale-lip , no lipstick look the IT look ? ( naw, I was just kidding ).
Well, I’m just glad that this isn’t true! If you’re reading this, and it’s the first time that you knew about this, make sure to tell a friend, or some lipstick lover that there is no need to be afraid -they can wear all the lipstick then want in the world!
..and the world is happy again, no apples to poison us!
Source : Lead in Lipsticks Causing Cancer
Picture source : Ouithequeens.com
Update : There has been new findings that there is indeed lead content in lipsticks, and might be lethal. I will update with a new post ASAP.
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I read your info in the website, however have you seen the report on CNN about lead in lipsticks. It may not cause cancer but it does cause brain damage. Unless CNN is lying, there is not FDA regulation in regards to lead in lipsticks. About 33 brands containg significant amounts of lead.
[...] remember making a post that I made last time about lethal lipsticks. Out of frustration, and lack of proof about lipsticks [...]