Heavy Metals In Your Cosmetics? How to Know and What to Do About It

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Did you know that there might be dangerous levels of heavy metals in cosmetics? Yes, heavy metals in makeup is a real concern that you should be aware of. Here’s what you need to know about this serious problem and what you can do about it.

make up products on a white tabletop with text overlay

When you think about being exposed to lead or other heavy metals, you typically would think about lead in old paint or toys, mercury in fish or in fluorescent bulbs, right?

But could there be enough heavy metals in your blush or lipstick that you could be getting toxic exposures?

Everything from your eye shadows to lip glosses, mascara, and even skincare can have heavy metals in it, and it could be a significant problem.

Let’s talk about it.

But first…let’s talk about metals.

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What are Heavy Metals?

Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements that have a high atomic weight (high atomic number) and a density that’s least 5 times greater than that of water.

Multiple applications (industrial, domestic, agricultural, technological and even medical) have led to both the widespread use and distribution of heavy metals throughout the environment.

In recent years, concerns have been raised over the potential effects of heavy metals on human health and the environment.

Are All Heavy Metals Toxic?

Yes and no. The toxicity of heavy metals depends on dose, route of exposure (breathing, skin contact, or in blood, etc.), and chemical species, as well as the age, gender, genetics, and health status of the individual who is exposed to the metal.

Following is an alphabetical list of heavy metals based on the above criteria. Note that this is just a partial list. There are more metals that could be included, including rare earth elements.

  • Arsenic
  • Aluminum
  • Beryllium
  • Cadmium
  • Chromium
  • Copper
  • Iron
  • Lead
  • Mercury
  • Nickel
  • Thallium
  • Tin
  • Zinc

Out of the above list, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury are the most toxic of the group and so these are the ones that get the most attention in public health arenas.

These elements are thought to be systemic toxins that can cause organ damage, even at lower levels of exposure. They are also classified as human carcinogens (known or probable) according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

It’s notable that iron and zinc are essential nutrients like iron and zinc. They can be useful at appropriate levels, but can also be toxic in excess of that amount.

What Is Heavy Metal Toxicity?

Heavy metal toxicity (or heavy metal poisoning) can either be acute or chronic. 

Acute is a sudden intense exposure (like a toxic spill or other type of accident), whereas chronic toxicity happens over time–with gradual exposures leading up to a systemic overload.

With all of the heavy metals being in our environment, exposures build up over time, and since it’s hard for our bodies to excrete some of these metals (and some people have a harder time excreting them than others), health problems can result.

Chronic heavy metal exposure has been linked to many health problems such as  cancer, birth defects, kidney disease, and lung conditions.

Low-birth weights and developmental delays have been determined to be a result of lead exposure during pregnancy. (source)

The Flint, MI water crisis, while about heavier amounts of lead in water, is evidence of the horrible damage that heavy metal exposures can cause.

Anyone can suffer health problems from prolonged exposures to heavy metals, but if you are pregnant or have health conditions, you might be at an increased risk. Children are also at a greater risk since their bodies don’t detox efficiently and they are smaller in stature, so any exposure will have a greater negative effect.

Does Your Makeup Contain Heavy Metals?

It’s scary to think about, but skincare and cosmetics are is one of the most common ways that people are exposed to heavy metals. So–how is that happening?

Well, heavy metals end up in cosmetics in one of two ways: either during manufacturing, or they are part of the natural colors used in the product.

But you can’t see them or smell them. If there’s a high enough concentration, you might taste them, but that would be highly unlikely.

The ONLY way to know if your makeup contains heavy metals is to test it. 

Most companies don’t do testing and there is no regulation in the US about heavy metal contamination in cosmetics.

The Food and Drug Administration has determined that 10 ppm of lead in cosmetics is safe, but they don’t require companies to abide by these standards or to even test them. 

The truth is, that other than color additives for cosmetic products, really no testing is mandatory for the beauty industry.

Examples of Heavy Metals Found in Beauty Products

Mercury has been found in skin whitening creams (1 woman apparently had 100 times the average amount of mercury in her urine). source [1]

Lead, cadmium, chromium, manganese, and aluminum have been found in lipstick and lip glosses (some in very unsafe levels). Basically, in all kinds of color cosmetics, heavy metal contamination has been discovered. (Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4])

In a recent federal analysis,  the FDA found that over 400 shades of lipstick from popular brands were contaminated with trace amounts of lead.

Even with “safe” levels determined for these products, when you add up the exposures that most women get between multiple beauty products and other exposures (think air, water, food, bulbs, etc.), toxic levels can be more easily reached.

What About Natural Cosmetics?

I’m all about natural products, but in this case, it might not be the best choice–here’s why.                                                    

Most “natural” cosmetics (think mineral makeup) are made primarily from talc and clay. These ingredients are often contaminated with heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and cadmium during the mining and manufacturing process and then they end up on your lips, cheeks, and face.

If companies aren’t proactively testing both raw materials and end products, there is no way to know if the product is safe or not, despite them being “natural”.

If you’ve been around Whole New Mom for awhile, you know that I LOVE making almost anything from scratch. I make my own Eye Makeup Remover, Body Wash, and Hair Rinse, and awhile ago, I thought I’d try my hand at natural cosmetics and purchased some raw ingredients.

But once I found out about how heavy metals can contaminate the raw ingredients for makeup, I I reached out to the manufacturer asking about heavy metals in the iron oxides, etc. that I purchased, but I never got a satisfactory response.

See–mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, and more–they are all natural products.  So even if your products are “natural” or “organic” or DIY, if they have metals in them, they can still be a source of heavy metals at unsafe levels.

Pinterest collage for Heavy Metals In Your Makeup post

What You Can Do About This

The main role of government is to keep the citizenry safe, but sadly, regulation of the beauty industry is basically non-existent.  In fact, here in the U.S., the federal government hasn’t passed a law to regulate ingredients in beauty products since 1937 (yes, you read that right). (Source)

Basically, you need to get informed–Know what’s in your products and really know your manufacturer. And I mean REALLY know them. There’s a lot of monkey business going on out there. Ask me how I know.

1.  Skip the Color Cosmetics – or Maybe Not.

If you want to completely avoid heavy metals in makeup, you just might have to avoid color cosmetics completely and skip the whitening creams too.  In fact, whitening toothpastes have also been known to have heavy metal contamination too.

To be as safe as possible, skip the foundation, the blush, the eye pencil, the lipstick, the lip gloss, the mascara, and the eye shadow. You can alternatively try a line of products that uses only plant-based colors, but then you can be dealing with other toxins like pesticides that are concentrated more heavily in color extract. 

But if you, like me, want a little color on your face, then you need to do your homework.

2.  Check Your Products for Safety

Go to Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep directory to see what is in your products.   Keep in mind, however, that only ingredients are listed — not contaminants.

What is listed on the label is only part of the picture.

3.  Buy from a Safe Company

Contact companies and ask about heavy metals and their products.  

Ask if they batch test and what the presence is of heavy metals in their products.

I buy my personal care products from several companies, since I don’t think that one size really fits all, however, all of my makeup comes from Beautycounter.

Beautycounter and Heavy Metals

Beautycounter truly stands above the crowd in that they test every single batch of their products for the presence of heavy metals–they’re that serious.

This outlines their high standards:

We test the ingredients used in our color cosmetics and finished cosmetic products obsessively—multiple times—before they go to market. We only use validated test methods and the most advanced laboratory equipment available (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer, ICP-MS). This allows us to test for heavy metals at concentrations ten times lower than what is standard practice in the beauty industry (1 part per billion vs 10 parts per million).

To break this down a step further, we check for heavy metals in products at the lowest concentrations scientifically possible through at least a 1ppb detection limit, whereas some equipment has detection limits of 10 ppm. Under this scenario, anything less than 10 ppm would appear as “passing” (or, in scientific lingo, “non-detect”). It is common to use less precise testing, if testing is performed at all. This is why it’s critically important to understand how brands are testing for heavy metals, since catchy headlines don’t tell the full
story.

If our test results show heavy metals at concentrations that concern us, we immediately investigate and address potential contamination issues with our suppliers, sometimes halting the production or launch of a product. We have a state-of-the-art, in-house lab (allowing for nimble testing throughout the product development process, rather than a “one and done” approach) and we rely on third-party tests to validate our results throughout the year. Our third-party testing facility tests in “duplicates,” a scientific term to describe testing each product twice, to account for variability in how heavy metals may be distributed.

Beyond that, not only are their standards high, but their makeup performs fabulously.

overlay of beautycounter make up products

 

Christy Coleman is a world famous makeup artist who is the Chief Artistic Officer at Beautycounter. Her color selections are simply phenomenal and she works with all kinds of cover girls and stars.

Her goal is to have Beautycounter’s makeup to be good enough both for the runway, and perfect for every day as well. And it is. In fact, Beautycounter’s products have been frequently seen at the Academy Awards, the Oscars, and more.

More Information About Beautycounter Products

Lipstick

Beautycounter’s lipstick is literally the only clean lip color I’ve ever been able to wear. Lipsticks have been know to have lead in them, but thanks to Beautycounter’s careful policies, you can be confident wearing these. They have both Sheer Conditioning and Statement Maker Satin. I love Petal and Twig and plan to try Lily soon.

Free Return Policy

Beautycounter also has a fabulous 60 day return policy, and even though I think you’ll love the products, it’s nice to know you can buy without risk.

Following is an informational graphic showing the concerns of heavy metals in cosmetics, as well as how you can avoid the dangerous risks.

{Please note that the information about 2 ppm on the infographic should instead read .5 – 5 ppm.}

Diagram heavy metals in cosmetics and its effects on your body

Read more here about what I love about Beautycounter.

No matter where you shop, make sure you do your homework and keep the heavy metals off of your face — ’cause no one needs more toxins.

What surprised you most about this information?

This post was originally published on April 23, 2015 and was rewritten and updated with new images on February 2, 2021. Following is one of the original images for reference.

Makeup products for Heavy Metals in Cosmetics post

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66 Comments

  1. Look into Crunchi skin care and beauty products. They are toxin free and high performance. Let me know what you think.

    1. Hi there. I did look at them and actually worked with them for awhile. I liked the concept but the gloss and foundation were thick and I had customers returning the foundation for that reason and the gloss irritated my lips. At the time they didn’t test every batch. That’s not a prerequisite for me, but I am glad that Beautycounter does it. Good question!

  2. This is Vera from Nigeria. I use Oriflame cosmetic products. I want to know if it’s safe or not. Because I heard it’s organic. That’s why I use their products. Meanwhile, I want to say a very big thanks to you for this research, and for sharing them. Remain blessed.

    1. Hello Vera – I’m so sorry for the time it took for me to get back to you on this. I’m so busy! I would ask them…have you contacted them to ask about heavy metal counts in their products.

      Let me know and thank you! I worked on redoing the post but it got lost so I hope to have more information in there in the next week hopefully – stay tuned!

  3. Thanks for this article. I would like to testify that I am a sufferer of lead poisoning through cosmetics..namely lipstick. I was sicker than a dog…actually my brain was. My brain was to the point of being very inflamed and I couldn’t sleep or concentrate. I was told I would achieve psychosis if I would keep wearing this. My integrative Dr. did a heavy metals test and my lead was literally off the chart. I suspected lipstick and started looking up the brands I used and the colors. I have a job working with the public and so I was constantly putting it on. Immediately, I bought lead free and some other “free” lipstick. Also, I did DMSA chelation for 3 days and liver cleanse for 11 days. UPloading lots of nutrients during the time of the liver cleanse. That I did for 4 months. I still have to have a follow-up metals test. Trust me, you don’t want to have lead poisoning!

      1. Yeah, wow. I almost never wear lipstick but I can imagine how much one would ingest when putting it on on a daily basis round the clock. How fast did you go through tubes?

        1. HI Adrienne, They didn’t last as long as they used to for some reason, however, I always bought at discount stores and clearance. It didn’t matter if it was Lancome or Revlon or other name brands. Bad stuff. The lead-free I bought lasts a long time, i.e. a few months.
          There are no words to describe what my brain went through. I also had some IV vitamin and mineral treatments during this time.

          Thanks for responding!

          1. No kidding! That’s is so weird! You mean that the tube didn’t last as long or the lipstick didn’t?

            I can totally imagine. I have been through so much myself. Finally coming out of my own nightmare. It’s multi-faceted as many health issues are but thankful I’m seeing some real solid progress now–the best I have seen in a very very long time.

            My pleasure!! Glad to have you here and hope to see you around again!!

    1. You are so welcome. Thanks for reading and for commenting. I’m so sorry that you went through all of this. I’m glad you are doing better!!!!

      1. HI again, Sorry…I meant the liptstick with the poisons in them didn’t last as long. The tube/container was fine. I was always able to find name brands for $1.50 -$2.00 whereas purchasing lipstick with “less” in it costs anywhere from $14.00 up. Thankfully, it lasts longer. Have a great weekend. I am happy you are starting to see healthier days also. I could write a few books…

        1. Yes, I am sure we could share a lot of stories. We might have a “story” starting with our youngest now. Sigh. If you are ever interested in trying out the Beautycounter brand, I’m happy to connect with you about that. I am going to start a FB group and I have a newsletter list as well for more nice things. It’s so nice to have a company that I can really trust! Feel free to reach out here or via email at wholenewmom {at} gmail {dot} com. Take good care!

  4. Great info here Adrienne,

    I was shocked when I heard that traces of lead were found in many popular lipstick brands. Some researchers claim we’d need to eat 1000s of lipsticks in order to develop lead poisoning. But why risk it when we don’t have to?

    I’ve heard great things about Beauty Counter – I really need to check them out! I’m glad their standards are so high. I’ve also heard a lot of praise about 100% Pure’s lipsticks.

    Thanks for recommending the Skin Deep directory. I also think consumers should learn as much as possible about ingredients (and potentially harmful natural products like heavy metals too) to stay informed.

    Thanks again for recommending Beauty Counter – can’t wait to try it out!

    Laura

    1. Hi Laura – thanks for reading! I am really disturbed by heavy metals in makeup, especially in something like lipstick b/c of course we are getting these things from other sources too so you can’t just talk about what is in the lipstick and say that it’s safe. I would love to stay in touch w/ you about this. I don’t allow self promotion on my site so I did remove your link, but we should talk for sure! 🙂

  5. I just received an email promoting metallic make up and I found it scary, so I googled ‘metals in make up’ and saw this article. There are certain metals needed by your body during the metabolic process and during respiration and they are there by nature. When you start adding these heavy metals they get absorbed into your blood stream and over a period of time, problems ensue. I guess most people don’t realise that the skin has blood vessels and that’s how it gets its nutrients. This explains why a lot of people who use these make up on a regular basis look way older than their age. If the FDA is not involved, maybe it should look into it and protect consumers. People seem to care more about animal products in cosmetics when they should pay more attention to the toxins we put in our system for the sake of looking ‘ beautiful’. Thanks for your article.

    1. You are so welcome. Yes, you are right about the heavy metal implications on health. Not sure about people using makeup looking older but that’s interesting. Beautycounter is trying to to do what it can. Hard to know how much to have the government do since gov’t oversight can be a problem, but in this case I think it’s needed. Thanks again!

        1. Yes I had a lot of back and forth with them. They sent me some products to sample and I signed up as an affiliate. However, the hair products smelled very very strong so I asked why since the label said only “coconut” on it. They initially told me that it was coconut essential oil but that doesn’t exist. Finally, after a long back and forth they said it was heat extracted coconut extract. My understanding, after talking w/ a skincare expert, is that there is no such thing but I can go back and check. She said that there is another extract but it’s very expensive and not that strong so you would have to use a lot of it to have an intense smell.

          I smell the same smell but I think stronger in Shea Moisture and both products make my chemically sensitive son react badly. I can’t use them and I can’t in good conscience recommend them so I removed them from my blog. If you are looking for other options please reach out to me here or via email. Thanks for reading.

          1. Hello again and thank you so much for your quick answer. I have started to read, the gather and check a huge ammount of info with hope to find a 100% natural, non-toxic and not harmful cosmetics.its all started after I’ve been pregnant and since than Im really struggling to find a company I can trust. I’ve been cheking every single ingridient in order to find something i can you with no worries and the only one that seems to use only natural ingridients Was 100% pure.
            I really dont know har to do at this point ‘ cause not to use make-up it isreally NOT A OPTION, cant immagine to go out with no make-up ?
            Serious company should take its clients seriously and what you experienced it si really dissapointing me…. is it possible you have been taking to somebody who doesnt have that kind of knowledges and is just responsable of communicatin etc?
            Anyway, do you have any advices for me? Please tell me the company who really cares and produces a 100% natural (no chemicals, synth.stuff and so on) exists ?? A

            1. Hi there.

              No I was talking to customer service and then the affiliate manager who got the information right from the company. I have a few options for you. Here is one: https://wholenewmom.com/araza

              I haven’t tried their products yet, but they are very clean. They haven’t assured me of batch heavy metal testing so in that sense I would lean towards Beautycounter.

              Here is another. https://wholenewmom.com/credobeauty

              This one has a LOT of brands and many are not as clean as you seem to want, but the RMS brand would meet your needs I think. Again, I don’t know of any company that batch tests for heavy metals but I think these would be good options to consider.

              Hope that helps!

          2. Hello again and thank you so much for your quick answer. I have started to read, the gather and check a huge ammount of info with hope to find a 100% natural, non-toxic and not harmful cosmetics.its all started after I’ve been pregnant and since than Im really struggling to find a company I can trust. I’ve been cheking every single ingridient in order to find something i can you with no worries and the only one that seems to use only natural ingridients Was 100% pure.
            I really dont know har to do at this point ‘ cause not to use make-up it isreally NOT A OPTION, cant immagine to go out with no make-up ?
            Serious company should take its clients seriously and what you experienced doesnt impress me positively

            1. Hi there. So sorry for the delay in responding. I personally reacted to some scents in 100% Pure so I’m very confused about their ingredients. I highly recommend Beautycounter for heavy metal screening and overall transparency. I am happy to help however I can. If you sign up for my newsletter or join my healthy living group I can offer more assistance as well.

          3. thank you one more time, I will check these links
            I have tried to quickly check some of the products on beautycounter , so far cant find something I can cosider really clean ((

            1. You are very welcome. I understand your thoughts about Beautycounter. They do not purport to be organic or all natural. Their aim is to be much safer than mainstream skincare and beauty products while performing at a high level. Their head of creative design, Christy Coleman, is well known for her talent and her contribution to the company yields color cosmetics that are simply lovely.

              I hope that clarifies :).

      1. Sorry to disturb you that much, but would you be so kind to answer just one more question about 100 % pure? Do you know something about their certifications for heavy metals of if they ? There is a long story on their site about how they test for this and that but no word about heavy metals. Thank you and sorry for taking your time.
        So greatfull for your help and happy to know someone is doing such a great job as you do

        1. I have no knowledge that they do any of that kind of testing. They state on their site that they don’t have synthetic colorants and mention that they can contain heavy metals. However, iron oxides, etc can as well and they do mention that their products do / might contain those. They have a lot of products so I haven’t gone through all of them. Thanks for the kind words!

    1. I am trying them out soon. I used their eye cream in the past and that didn’t work well for me, but trying other things next. Have you tried them? Thoughts?

      UPDATE 5/18/17 I will not be recommending their company for various reasons.

    2. Hello there. Update – I am digging into them and am having issues with their fragrances. I can’t get the answers that I need about them. I hope to have more information but they are saying that they have a heat extracted coconut extract in their hair products and I can’t find such a product anywhere on the internet so I’m stumped. I have talked to a soap company that didn’t understand either as well as another extract company so I want to talk to one more. It’s a puzzle and I’m not comfortable yet. I am happy to help with other companies but so far can’t recommend this one.

  6. I have been using some of the 100% Pure products. The mascara for me seems to be light. After a day at work I get home & it looks like I don’t have any on. I use the tinted moisturizer & love it. I heard about the Ava Anderson from my sister. Would like to try it but haven’t gotten around to ordering it yet. Now I see Suzanne Sommers has a makeup line out. Anyone tried her products yet?

      1. Okay so I have been searching for a company that sells cosmetics that are free of the heavy metals. I looked at the Beauty Counter site, as well as Ava Anderson that you mentioned. I also looked into the other one mentioned above by someone Rejuva. Those three look pretty good so far. It looks like you are a consultant for the two you mentioned is there one you prefer over the other?? I really want to find something natural. I love Young Living Essential Oils and really want to find makeup that is more natural as well.

        1. Hi there. I see why that is confusing. I am almost for sure moving away from Beautycounter and towards Ava Anderson. I have multiple thoughts about that, but if you look at the ingredients you will see that the Ava Anderson ones are much cleaner. Beautycounter is doing a great job of moving away from the toxic ingredients in most makeup and skincare and towards safer contents. What exactly are you looking for re: cosmetics? The Ava Anderson lip glosses are lovely and their mascara is fantastic. Happy to help with all of it. There are few items that Ava Anderson doesn’t carry, like eye pencil, but they do have an eyeliner. I suspect they will have it soon, but not yet. Hope that helps.

          Update – Ava Anderson had a lot of mislabeling and other issues so I no longer recommend them nor their new brand, Pure Haven Essentials.

          1. I am mainly looking for makeup, I am not one to wear a ton of makeup or even to wear it everyday, but I do like to wear it and want to feel good about it. I am trying to get into using better products in general, but it can all be very overwhelming. I will see something that looks good and then look a little deeper and maybe something else is saying that it is not so good. I have people I know that use Arbonne, and some use Younique, but from what I read there are still some questionable things in those. I know that there is not a perfect line out there I just want to find what will be best and affordable. It really is a lot to take in 🙂

            1. Hi there. Yes, I am not a fan of many of the ingredients in those lines. This list from Ava Anderson might be of interest to you. It has a list of ingredients to avoid. …. Update – Ava Anderson had a lot of mislabeling and other issues so I no longer recommend them nor their new brand, Pure Haven Essentials.

              They have a new one out now but I don’t have a link to that. Hope that helps.

  7. I sale beautycounter and I will never use anything else. I get so many compliments on how beautiful my skin looks. I was so so shocked to find out what I did about cosmetics and personal care. This is a great article. Thanks for posting it.

  8. You are such a great resource … I only just recently found your blog … I’m in the process of reducing the chemicals, metals and nastiness … two almost adult kids, one with asthma one recently diagnosed with gluten sensitivities and dust mite allergies. Her allergist told us to be vigilant in finding GF make-up that is also dust mite free. This brings me to ask … do you know if Beautycounter products are gluten free? And do you know if they test for dust mites? We discovered my daughter’s dust mite allergy months after we went to the ER with an allergic reaction following a meal of GF/organic pancakes … after several visits to an allergist he told us she has “pancake syndrome” … caused by dust mites in packaged mixes and flours … basically every baking mix and flour product (bottled dry spices and herbs too) has the potential of having dust mites … baked goods (like cakes, brownies, etc.) cook at a higher temperature and for a longer period than pancakes … apparently the dust mites were still alive in her pancakes and caused the allergic reaction. Soooo, dust mites in makeup is yet another issue my family is trying to eliminate in our products. She’s currently using GF-make up from Tarte and so far, no problems.

    1. Hi there. Thanks for your encouragement – it means a great deal. As for the gluten and dust mites….I have never heard of dust mites in products — food or otherwise, but I am happy to find out whatever would help you. As for gluten, there is a very detailed response to that on the Beautycounter site. I looked at Tarte’s and it appears that they do not have a definitive “gluten free” statement, but that they state that they do not use gluten to formulate their products. The information on gluten from Beautycounter is on this page under their FAQs. I would think that you would be fine with all or most of their products, but you can also rest assured that they have a 60 day full refund policy so you could try whatever you like and return it if it doesn’t work. The last I heard their return rate was only 1.3%.

      Here is the FAQ section. https://www.beautycounter.com/adrienneurban?goto=/faqs

      Feel free to comment with any other concerns. Is there something I can ask them about the dust mites? Did you ask Tarte about that and if so, what was their response?

      You can also email me at wholenewmom at gmail dot com if you like.

    2. Hey Sharyn, have you heard about Danielle Walker from Against All Grains? She is a on very strict gluten-free diet and she recently started using Beautycounter products, including makeup 🙂 She has zero reactions to them and even joined the company as a consultant 🙂 She is very sensitive to gluten so she also needs to be very careful.

      1. Thanks for sharing, Kasia. That’s very true. There are some people who are celiac who avoid certain Beautycounter products but for the most part they are not an issue. Thanks again!

  9. Thank you for sharing this information! I thin the heavy metal screening that Beautycounter uses is incredible and I’m so glad someone is out there asking the hard questions. I don’t think we need to sacrifice having fun with make up and our health!

    1. Thanks, Lindsay :). I’ve never been a big makeup gal but I have enjoyed wearing a little lipstick recently.

    1. Looks interesting. Thanks! I know – the heavy metal thing really upset me. I had no idea. To see how much is in some cosmetics is really frightening.

  10. You say you “took zeolite” could you explain the exact regimen? Also, what was the ‘program that was supposed to help the body release the metals on it’s own’? Thanks!
    I am not much for makeup, but I HAVE to have mascara! I have been using the 100% PURE mascara it smells wonderful and does a good job, but a bit too light, so I ‘beefed’ it up with some homemade mascara recipes, which has helped a lot. I also use a tiny bit of cream makeup to even out my skin, but when it is gone, I plan to make my own using recipes found on blogs like this (you might have even had one or two recipes here)…

    1. Yes, there is more in this post about what I did. I did nutritional balancing but I am not sure it really did that much for me. It was all about hair analysis and I have moved on since. I don’t use a lot either…foundation and eye pencil and mascara pretty much. Does the 100% pure smudge? I am going to have to ask them about metals. Beautycounter is coming out with one soon apparently so I am excited about that and about ditching my Cover Girl :(. I have a few recipes – eye makeup remover and hair rinse and such. I hope to have a few more soon. Thanks!

    1. I’ve heard of them. Is that the only brand you use? I see they do have good EWG ratings. I didn’t mention that in the post – Beautycounter cares about that too.

      Do you know, by chance, how often they test?

      1. I would imagine they would provide you with their testing results and frequency of testing. Their website is pretty detailed.

        I also use the 100% Pure makeup.

        🙂

        1. I asked them. Thanks! I’m now curious about 100% Pure as well. I’ve only tried 1-2 products of theirs.

        2. Hello Suzan. Just wanted to update you that I had 100% Pure on my site but I had to remove them due to odd ingredient responses. If you want any more info I can communicate with you about it.

  11. Thank you for the article. Have known this for years and am glad you put all the info together in a good informative article! I don’t wear make-up and haven’t for decades now….. I’m sending this to my sister who uses all kinds of make-up…maybe she will believe me now!
    Question: What type of Zeolite do you use? Powder, liquid or capsules? Where do you purchase it? I am a Dental Hygienist and have mercury toxicity! I did do chelations years ago, however, I’d like to start detxoing again. Thank you!

    1. Right now, sadly, I buy Cover Girl, b/c I think I have literally tried every natural one on the market and they all smudged :(. But Beautycounter is coming out with a mascara soon so I am really looking forward to it. Do you have smudging issues too?

    1. You are so welcome. I agree with you. I was shocked to learn all of this too. What product line are you using, by the way?

      1. Currently, I’m using basic mainstream products like Lorac, Urban Decay, Tarte, etc. It hasn’t been until recently that I’ve become interested in products that aren’t toxic to my health.

        1. I want to get my certification in makeup though, specifically because I adore makeup. So finding this out is a huge bummer haha

          1. Oh wow. Well, you could follow in the footsteps of Christie Coleman at Beautycounter. She’s amazing. If you go here you can see her in a video with their products. She does covers for Elle, Teen Vogue and Glamour – she’s uber talented. Apparently her relative developed Parkinson’s and they linked it to chemical exposures so she became convinced that it was important to get toxins out of beauty products. You can see the video here. I think you’ll find it to be inspiring.

            I never was a big makeup gal but I am using lipstick now and find it to be fun :). (and minus all the lead, of course)

        2. I haven’t used any of those but I’ve seen them in stores. When I started making the change to more “natural” beauty products, I was using Cover Girl and Revlon and Maybelline (buying stuff on sale mostly).

          It’s good you have some better choices now. I will say, and this is no pressure at all, that I am thrilled w/ the Beautycounter performance. They have a makeup artist on staff who does covers for Elle, Teen Vogue, and Glamour – so you know the stuff is good. He relative got Parkinson’s (I think) and they linked it to chemical exposures and she became convicted that she didn’t want to put harmful products on models’ faces anymore.

          And they have a 60 day money back guarantee and their return percentage is only 1.3%. It’s good stuff. I encourage you to take a look at it.