Here we go
A woman of a certain age asks, how do we age gracefully and healthfully in an era of chemicals and marketing hype?? - by busting one illusion at a time…..
In a 2006 Article in the Ecologist, Pat Thomas the writer said: Lipstick is just ironically female. Big girls use it to enhance their allure; little girls often make their first forays into womanhood by sitting in front of the mirror, imitating the way their mother's paint their lips And it has such a deep place in our psyches that stock-market traders use it as an indicator of economic trends.
But there are health concerns:
What goes on your mouth can also go in your mouth. When a woman wears lipstick, she may swallow a little of it, but it can also be absorbed through the lining of the mouth and it is estimated that a woman may ingest more than four pounds of lipstick in her lifetime.
In recent years, longer-lasting colour has become the Holy Grail of lipstick formulation. Achieving this means adding a variety of plastics, nylon and silicones that effectively glue the colour to the lips. Some of these synthetic ingredients may cause an irritation of the lips called cheilitis.
Synthetic colours (generally indicated by the prefix ‘CI’), especially coal tar dyes, are common allergens and are also carcinogenic. The fragrance component of a lipstick can be neurotoxic and cause photosensitivity and dermatitis.
In 2004, the Environmental Working Group survey Skin Deep examined 711 lipstick products and found that 28 per cent contained ingredients associated with cancer risk, such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), nylon-6, ferric red (iron) oxide, polyethylene, and titanium dioxide.
In 2005, a more worrying bit of information came out during the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in San Diego, California. Scientists there revealed that women with a family history of the autoimmune disease lupus had a greater risk of developing the disease if they regularly wore lipstick (and used hair dye).
It is possible that other women may experience chronic sub-clinical immune problems with daily exposure to the ingredients in lipsticks – but until somebody does the necessary research this will, frustratingly, remain in the realm of speculation.
Hmmm - I don't know about you, but I like my makeup to be worry-free, and for my beauty products not to compromise my health.....
What do you think now?
If you are interested in reading more about this here is a link to this article:
https://theecologist.org/2006/may/01/behind-label-maybelline-superstay-16-hour-lip-colour