Titanium dioxide is present as a pigment in many lipglosses according to a new test that failed almost half of the brands analyzed
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousLipgloss or lip glosses are very commonly used cosmetics which, given also the delicate area in which they are used, should be free of controversial substances. But is it really so? To find out, a new test compared 16.
The German magazine Öko-Test bought, mainly in pharmacies, 16 lipgloss of intense red tones, of which 7 were brands certified as natural cosmetics.
For each sample, the presence of PEG, problematic dyes, paraffins, silicones and synthetic polymers was evaluated but the levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury were also checked. Finally, organic halogen compounds, parabens with hormonal activity and other problematic substances were sought.
The results
The test results do not show a really rosy situation: half of the lipglosses are "unsatisfactory" and are in fact not recommended. Only 3 “very good” products.
The main problem found in most lip glosses is the presence of a controversial pigment: titanium dioxide. This substance is present in many red lip glosses and until a few years ago it was considered completely harmless, but now, as the German magazine reports, it is not possible to exclude a mutagenic effect.
It is no coincidence that the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), after examining about 200 studies, evaluated E 171, precisely titanium dioxide, as "no longer safe" as a food additive. And recently the European Commission decided to ban titanium dioxide as an additive in food starting in 2022.
The lip gloss is obviously not a food but in part it can enter the mouth and be ingested. In an illustrative calculation, the EU's Consumer Safety Committee (SCCS) estimated that people lick their lips up to 57 milligrams of makeup every day. This is why the test considered the presence of titanium dioxide in lip glosses in a particularly negative way, even if the responsible authorities to which the experts of the German magazine asked for an evaluation have tended to reassure about the presence of this pigment in make-up.
As Kristina Pötter, head of the cosmetics department at the Koblenz State Investigation Bureau said:
according to the current state of affairs, there is nothing against the use of titanium dioxide in lip cosmetics.
However, titanium dioxide is not the only controversial substance that can end up on our lips using a lipgloss.
The test also criticizes the presence of two azo dyes: tartrazine (CI 19140), which can cause skin irritation, and yellow orange S (CI 15985), suspected of triggering asthma, neurodermatitis or ADHD.
Many products also contain paraffin, petroleum-based fats, and a lip gloss was found to be contaminated with potentially carcinogenic aromatic mineral oil hydrocarbons - so-called MOAH.
The best or worst brands
On the basis of all the parameters analyzed, the 3 best lipglosses of the test were found to be:
- Benecos Natural Lipgloss, Kiss me
- Dr Hauschka Lip Gloss Goji
- Alverde Jelly Pudding Lipgloss
Among the worst we find instead:
- L’Oréal Brilliant Signature Plump-in Gloss
- Essence extreme shine volume lipgloss
- Manhattan high shine lipgloss
- Maybelline lifter gloss
- Ps…high gloss red hurricane (Primark)
Follow us on Telegram | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Youtube Source: Öko-Test Read also:
- Heavy metals in lipstick: the side effects every woman needs to know
- One in three lipstick is not safe. Kiko and Mac among the worst according to the Altroconsumo test
- Paraffin lip gloss: all the BRANDS passed and rejected by Oko Test
- Plastics and microplastics in cosmetics: Lush, Sephora, Maybelline among the worst. Only Purobio is saved
- Plastic in makeup: the best and worst brands according to two new analyzes