Burt's Bees' Response to Lead In Lipstick

If you haven't already read my first post on the FDA finding lead in many lip products including Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers, you can find it here.

So I emailed Burt's Bees on February 22nd with the following:

"I was recently alerted to the results of an FDA (US Food & Drug Administration) test on lipsticks that contain lead. The results of that test can be found at: http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductInformation/ucm137224.htm#expanalyses

The last brand that I expected to see on there was Burt's Bees! I'm really shocked that your lip shimmers contain up to 2.81 ppm of lead (the acceptable level in candy is 0.1 ppm) and feel a bit deceived as these are marketed as 100% natural so I assumed that they were safe. Just knowing that there is any lead in your lip shimmers has permanently stopped me from using them. As I assumed that your products were safe and now that is in question I would like a refund of the lip shimmer that I own. I also worry what other lip products of yours might contain lead but understand that you may not have that kind of data available.

Regards,
Angela"

This email went unanswered until I posted it to Burt's Bees Australia's facebook wall for all to see on Tuesday when I finally received a response. Their response is below:

"Hi Angela,

Thank you for getting in touch with us. We have had some recent enquiries from our fans on a study conducted by the FDA. Firstly we think it is fantastic that customers of Burt’s Bees are being so proactive about the products th ey use, it is always good to be well informed on those products you put on your skin. Rest assured that all of our products are safe for use & are deemed safe by FDA.

Please see our response to the findings this report below.

A recent report from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found trace elements of lead in Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer(Merlot shade only). The levels found were deemed SAFE by the FDA. The Merlot shade has been discontinued in Australia however if you have this shade currently it is still SAFE to use.

Because the minerals we use to impart colour in our formulas come from the earth, these natural elements may contain small traces of lead (a natural substance). At Burt’s Bees, our consumers’ well-being and safety is of the utmost importance to us. If we felt that our consumers' health was at risk, we would not be using these minerals in our products.

Traces of lead can be found elsewhere and broadly in the environment including tap and well water. In fact, John Bailey, previously of the FDA and now with the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, quantifies the environmental levels of lead in a statement: ‘The average amount of lead a woman would be exposed to when using cosmetics is 1,000 times less than the amount she would get from eating, breathing and drinking water that meets the Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards.’

Hope that clarifies the situation, Angela. If you have further questions, you can send us send us a private message (via the Message button on the left hand side of this page) and we'll be more than happy to assist you.
Thanks! :)"

Now I understand this, and this would be sufficient for most people, but the big flaw in their logic is that you can actually source natural minerals to colour makeup products which do not contain lead at all. In fact, many natural or organic makeup brands do just that. And no, it does not mean that you have to resort to using synthetic colours and dyes (that's a whole different blog post). From their resistance to admit deceiving customers, and talk of safety, it seems very unlikely that i'll be getting a refund from them. The ironic thing is that it's not about the money, it's about the principle. I would actually probably still use Burt's Bees products if they did offer me a refund because then they would be admiting that they shouldn't be selling these toxic lipsticks. But they seem to be standing firmly behind their products (as you would expect any company to do) and refusing to admit that there is anything wrong about lead being in their lip products!

So I sent one final reply, just to inform them, and anyone else reading the post, that in fact they are not being completely transparent and bending the truth to make their products appear safer than they really are.

"I hate to be a pain but I can't see the message button :S Anyway, i'm aware that small traces of lead are in a number of things that we consume every day but that's what's most worrying - it all builds up over time. A lot of people realise this and take actions to avoid some of these toxins as much as they can, like drinking pure spring water/filtered water, eating only organic food, or even growing their own fruits & vegies. I don't mean to sound like an annoying hippie but from what i've learned about the chemicals in our food, water, skincare, makeup, etc it's hard to ignore and that's why I try and use the safest products possible. I had just assumed that as Burt's Bees is natural, there wouldn't be anything harmful like this in your products. As there are other brands who use lead-free minerals to colour their makeup products, it just seems unnecessary to me to continue using these "tainted" colours. I'll be using only lead-free lip products in the future, so ultimately it comes down to whether the company chooses to use lead-free minerals or continues to use these lead containing minerals. I know that I won't be the only one to stop using Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers until they no longer contain lead."

The other thing which I didn't mention is that cosmetic regulatory bodies are a bit corrupt. It's common knowledge that many big brands sit on these boards and decide what is deemed "safe" and "unsafe". Personally, I see that as a conflict of interest but it is allowed. So when someone who may well have stakes in big cosmetic companies, like Estee Lauder for example, tells me that the ingredients that they use are safe, you can understand why i'm a bit sceptical. In the end it all comes down to money.

So what will I use instead? The following brands all have fabulous lip products that are free of toxins like lead. Ere Perez, Inika, Adorn, Youngblood, Alexami, Emani, RMS Beauty, Miessence, Dr Hauschka, NVEY ECO, Lavera, and Ilia (just to name a few). Kiss My Face also do a lip shimmer that is very similar to Burt's Bees but without the lead, although i'm not sure how easy it is to find here in Australia.