Trace levels of lead detected in leading lipsticks CONSUMER PROTECTION

Washington -- Four hundred of the nation's most popular lipsticks contained trace levels of lead when tested recently by the federal government, confirming similar results of earlier analyses but on a much wider scale and at higher levels than previously detected.

Five L'Oreal and Maybelline lipsticks, owned by L'Oreal USA, ranked among the top 10 most contaminated brands, according to the analysis by the Food and Drug Administration. Two Cover Girl and two NARS lipsticks also landed in top 10 slots, as did one from Stargazer.

The findings exacerbate an ongoing disagreement between the FDA and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a consumer group that's been pushing the government for years to set limits for lead levels in lipsticks. The FDA has resisted, insisting that the lead levels detected in two rounds of its testing do not pose safety risks. But the consumer group says the FDA has no scientific basis for its conclusion.

The Personal Care Products Council, the trade group representing the cosmetics industry, agreed with the FDA's assessment.

Halyna Breslawec, the council's chief scientist, said her group has petitioned the agency to set a limit on the amount of lead allowed in cosmetics. The consensus on what that limit should be - 10 parts per million, Breslawec said - is higher than the levels detected by FDA testing.

Breslawec said that many of the color additives in lipstick are mineral-based and therefore contain trace levels of lead that is naturally found the soil, water and air.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has a different take on the results.

"Lead builds in the body over time, and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant level exposure," Mark Mitchell, co-chairman of the Environmental Health Task Force for the National Medical Association, said in the group's statement.

Determining the true safety level for lead in cosmetics remains the stumbling block.

Under California law, lead concentrations in excess of 5 parts per million trigger a requirement that businesses provide a warning to consumers.

The majority of the lipsticks in the FDA study fell below that threshold. But two exceeded it, Maybelline's "Pink Petal" and L'Oreal's Colour Riche "Volcanic" lipstick.