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Nice red, but what's in it?
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Photo: Anna Efetova / Getty Images
Whether it's eating or carelessly licking your lips: If someone wears lipstick, some of the paste also gets into the body - up to 57 milligrams a day.
According to the current issue of the magazine "Öko-Test", people who apply make-up to their lips every day eat around five lipsticks a year.
A total of 18 matt, red lipsticks in the price range between around two and 42 euros were tested in it.
Many of the tested pens therefore contain titanium dioxide, including the six natural cosmetic products in the test.
The substance, which consumers can identify in cosmetic products by the code »CI 77891«, is suspected of having a mutagenic effect when taken orally.
As a food additive, it has already been banned throughout the EU.
more on the subject
Possible risk of cancer: European Commission bans white dye titanium dioxide in food
Titanium dioxide may still be used in cosmetics.
But in lipsticks, the testers see the substance as "risky" for reasons of preventive consumer protection, as they write.
And that's not the only criticism.
According to the test results, seven lipsticks also contain the coloring agent yellow orange S, which, according to "Öko-Test", is suspected of causing allergic reactions such as asthma or neurodermatitis in people who are already exposed to it.
Three pencils color the lips with tartrazine.
The substance can cause skin irritation in sensitive people.
The testers also criticized the fact that three quarters of conventional products use petroleum components such as paraffins as carrier fats.
In three of them, aromatic mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOAH) were detected, which could include carcinogenic components.
"It doesn't have to be - there are good natural alternatives such as beeswax that can be used to replace paraffins," write the eco-testers.
They also asked the manufacturers concerned to provide evidence of the use of recycled plastic in the packaging and the origin and supply chain of the glitter pigment mica used (»CI 77019«), which, according to the information, is partly obtained through violations of human rights.
Better to use it sparingly
Ultimately, none of the lipsticks tested was able to achieve the overall rating of “very good” or “good”.
Four lipsticks were rated "satisfactory", such as the "Alverde Matt Lipstick, 10" and the "Essence Hydra Matte Lipstick, 406".
The cheapest product in the test, the »Rival de Loop Lipstick Matt, 05« by Rossmann, was rated »adequate«.
Five other lipsticks scored "inadequate"
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Eight lipsticks even received the test result »insufficient«, including the most expensive product, the »Rouge Dior Couture Color Lipstick, Matte 999«.
The testers cannot recommend any of the tested lipsticks.
They advise applying lipstick sparingly and only on special occasions.
This at least reduces the amount of harmful substances ingested.
mar/dpa
