High levels of lead found in some lipstick

Laboratory tests show surprisingly high levels of lead in a number of lipsticks manufactured in the United States, including luxury expensive brands.

The tests, conducted last month on 33 brand-name red lipsticks, found that 61 percent contained detectable levels of lead, with levels ranging from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million. One-third of the tested lipsticks exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 0.1 ppm limit for lead in candy, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics said Friday in a release.

The group said the FDA has not set a limit for lead in lipstick.

Some less expensive brands such as Revlon --which costs about $7.49-- had no detectable levels of lead, while the more expensive Dior Addict at $24.50 had higher levels than some other brands.

Among the top brands testing positive for lead were L'Oreal Colour Riche "True Red" with 0.65 ppm, L'Oreal Colour Riche "Classic Wine" with 0.58 ppm, Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor "Maximum Red" with 0.56 ppm and Dior Addict "Positive Red" with 0.21 ppm

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