Women warned vs counterfeit lipstick

MANILA, Philippines - With Valentine’s Day approaching, environmental watch group EcoWaste Coalition warned the public, particularly the women, against counterfeit lipsticks supposedly containing high levels of lead.

In a statement, the group said its recent market investigation showed several lipstick products are being sold in stores in Metro Manila at very low prices – P10 to P80 – supposedly without authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).?

The group said of the 100 lipstick products that they recently subjected to laboratory testing, 25 pieces, representing 20 brands, were confirmed to have high lead content ranging from 25 to 4,093 parts per million, exceeding the 20 ppm limit under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive.

“Women should be on the alert for dangerous substances like lead and other contaminants that may be lurking in some lipsticks, particularly counterfeit ones, that could build up in the body over time and spell trouble for the brain, the kidneys and even the heart,” the group’s national coordinator, Aileen Lucero, said.

Lucero said while the other samples turned negative for lead, “we cannot say if they are totally safe from other contaminants, including unwanted microbes, as these products have not passed through the FDA’s verification procedures.”

She said lipstick products that did not have the FDA seal were found by their group being sold in cosmetic retail stores in Guadalupe, Mawwkati City, Divisoria and Quiapo in Manila, Baclaran, Pasay City and Novaliches, Quezon City.

Lucero said most of these toxic products were imitations of lipsticks of known brands such as MAC, Chanel and Monaliza.