A new report from the FDA suggests a limit on lead in cosmetics as of last week, officially reminding beauty companies of the due diligence they must do when creating and selling a product that contains the metal—especially with lip products, which can easily be swallowed, as well as all externally applied products, which can be absorbed through the skin. According to official FDA documentation, the agency is proposing a maximum of ten parts per million for lead in all lip makeup (think: lipsticks, glosses, liners, and yes, even lip kits) as well as a slew of externally applied products, too, which include makeup and skin- and hair-care items like eye shadows, blushes, body lotions, and shampoos. All of this, though, made me a bit weary, to be honest. Why draft new guidelines now? As Refinery 29 notes, the FDA has always turned a bit of a blind eye to the controversial use of lead in cosmetics, even after a 2007 report conducted by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found lead in over 60 percent of American-made, mass-market lipsticks, including, at the time, the beloved Dior Addict range.

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Maybe they decided to push out the paper pre-Christmas because the FDA knew you'd be getting beauty gifts, or maybe it's because the FDA Cosmetics Safety Act hasn't been updated since—wait for it—1938. It's because of that very act that the FDA can regulate cosmetics after they've been produced (unlike a drug, which is rigorously tested beforehand). So if you're wondering, "Um, why didn't this come earlier?" it's because the agency isn't given that jurisdiction. This antiquated bit of bureaucracy is one of the reasons Dianne Feinstein, a California senator, is sponsoring the Personal Care Products Safety Act, as a move to revise these outdated (and potentially dangerous) policies.

Until then, though the FDA issued draft guidance, it's not a legal mandate. In the report, the agency is quick to remind consumers that their surveying of almost 700 cosmetic products (in four separate experiments) found more than 99 percent of products currently on the U.S. market to meet the 10 ppm max rule with each and every item. However, a few products did fall above the maximum threshold—ones we're thinking you need to hold off on using for now. Specifically, one eyeshadow, Clarins Paris Mono Couleur 19 Ice Blue, and one blush, Lancome Blush Subtil 8 Brun Roche, which were both found to contain 14 ppm, four parts per million above the recommended ten.

That 10 ppm max that's been recommended by the FDA isn't random or arbitrary; it's also the exact point at which cosmetics can be swallowed or absorbed through the skin that will not result in detectable levels of lead in the blood, the agency confirms. "We concluded that up to 10 ppm lead in cosmetic lip products and externally applied cosmetics would not pose a health risk," the report reads.