Organic Lipstick – A Small Big Difference

Companies that can’t be bothered to pay attention to the ingredients they put into their products tend to be very vocal about how those qualities are so small and are not absorbed anyways, so you’d be silly looking for natural or organic lipstick and it doesn’t really exist anyway.

Now that’s pure baloney. There are plenty of natural and organic based lipsticks on the market. And choosing organic does matter.

Remember the whole global warming phenomena? It is true that an output from any one person or even one factory is not going to affect the planet’s climate in any measurable way. But we do not live on a planet with only one person, or one factory. We live in such a darn overcrowded planet that the collective tiny emissions by persons or factories add up to a potential climate catastrophe.

When it comes to global warming, we are talking about big numbers. And in big numbers little things matter. We’ve gotten to a point where to feed the demands of modern population a major environmental concern is cow-belching. Yup. One cow burping is no big deal. Millions of cows doing that, and we get a green house effect. Don’t believe me? Google it... You’ll be unpleasantly surprised…

Where am I going with it?

Well, when it comes to cosmetics the big companies treat individual makeup and skin care products like a one time burp. Put a bit of lipstick on you, and even if it has all those dangerous particles, they are so tiny – couldn’t possibly hurt you.

And you know, if you lived in a vacuum and applied only one lipstick only once, that would be so true.

But do you?

The Environmental Working Group found that an average woman uses twelve personal care products per day. That is twelve. Not one or two. For an average woman. Which means that there are a lot of women out there who use even more. And we don’t use a product just once per day. Don’t know about you, but I have yet to discover a lipstick that really doesn’t need touch ups…

And I think that numbers are probably higher. Just of the top of my head here is a list of products I see women use every day:

Shampoo, conditioner, soap, cleanser, toner, day cream, night cream, hand lotion, mascara, eye-shadow, foundation, concealer, lipstick, bronzer, powder, nail polish, nail polish remover, lip gloss, face masks, hair spray, hair gel, eye liner, lip liner, deodorant…

You get the picture. The list is loooong. And it’s been taught to us by the very same companies that claim that a little bit is ok…

Basically, we dub ourselves in a chemical cocktail every single day.

That’s why buying things natural and organic, and actually searching out for things like organic lipstick is worth your time. Small things add up in big numbers.

There have been numerous tests to check for chemical loads in people’s bodies. Most people tend to blame the environment when they find out they carry high number of toxic parts inside. But it’s not. It’s things we eat and put on our bodies.

In 2003 urine samples where taken from 120 women. Here are some of the things that where found inside their bodies:
… phthalates (common plastic ingredients used in varnishes, perfumes, cosmetics and detergents); anthracenes (from paving materials and diesel); solvents (paints, varnishes, some ink); flame retardants from upholstered furniture; parabens (an anti-microbial agent in everything from jam to cosmetics); and a host of "breakdown products" left over when the body metabolizes pollutants. (quoted from this article)

Not so surprisingly, the women in the area where the tests were conducted had a higher rate of breast cancer.

Connection, anyone?

Or do you still think that searching for an organic lipstick is a waste of your time?

And for those who are wondering where to start, here are just a few of the much more natural and organic makeup brands that make great products: SukiColor, Dr. Hauschka, NveyEco, Lavera, Logona and more... There is also a list of some very good organic makeup brands here.

And, of course, always ask around your local health store. There are many small manufacturers who don’t have the clout to get into every department store in the world, yet have the skill and integrity to make truly good products.

Organic Lipstick

Do you like eating lead, parabens, colors and fragrances?

That's crazy, isn't it? But most women do just that. Not intentionally, of course.

They think they are just putting a bit of lisptick on their lips...

At the end of 2007 Campaign for safe Cosmetics tested popular brands (thirty three of them) for lead. A shocking 61% tested positive. And the offending brands included such major players like L’Oreal, Cover girl and Dior Addict.

Now how do you like that? That’s lead we are talking about. On our mouths. A proven neurotoxin that builds up in our systems…

And it is not like lead is the only worrisome part of lipstick. Oh no. Not by a long shot.

When was the last time you checked your lipstick label for ingredients? How many from the avoid list do you see on your brand? Chances are, unless you are already buying organic lipstick, that you’ll see quite a few of the offenders.

Personally, I find it absolutely shocking. While it might be possible (but not probable) to stretch the imagination and buy into the claims that it is OK to add harmful ingredients to skincare products, cause supposedly they won’t penetrate (Yah, right!), what possible excuse can be given to adding carcinogens to lipstick? Something that by default comes in contact with the mouths and is eaten?

Please, stop the insanity. Don’t eat petroleum byproducts. You are not a car.

Organic lipstick is a much safer choice. Luckily there are companies that offer purer options. Let’s encourage them.

And hopefully, in a not too distant future the world will stop it’s madness and we won’t have to play label detectives all the time.