What is actually in your lipstick and why it matters more than you realize
We apply so many products to our skin, our lips and our hair: moisturizer, foundation, mascara, lipstick, shampoo, perfume etc. and we assume, reasonably enough, that if something is sold in a reputable store it has been tested and deemed safe. The uncomfortable truth is that in the United States, cosmetic ingredients are among the least regulated substances we encounter in daily life. The FDA does not approve cosmetic products before they go to market, it does not require safety testing and it has banned fewer than fifteen ingredients from personal care products albeit the European Union has banned over thirteen hundred.
The average woman applies over one hundred and fifty different chemicals to her skin and hair every single day. Many of them are absorbed directly into her bloodstream within seconds of application. Your skin is not a barrier but more like a sponge.
Here are the ingredients I now look for to avoid every time I buy up a personal care product.
Parabens
Parabens are preservatives used in an enormous range of cosmetics, shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers and makeup. They extend shelf life cheaply and effectively and they have been used in personal care products for decades. They are also estrogen mimics, meaning they bind to estrogen receptors in our body and behave like estrogen, disrupting our hormonal balance in ways that accumulate over time.
Look for: methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and any ingredient ending in “paraben” on your ingredient label. If you see any of these, put it back.
Phthalates
Phthalates are plasticizers used to make fragrances last longer and to help products adhere to your skin. They are also endocrine disruptors, meaning they interfere with the production, transport and function of hormones throughout your body. They are found in nail polish, hairspray, fragrance and many products but are simply listed as "fragrance" because fragrance is considered a trade secret in the US and its specific ingredients do not need to be disclosed.
If a product lists "fragrance" or "parfum" without specifying that it is derived from natural essential oils, assume it contains phthalates until proven otherwise.
Sulfates
Sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate are the foaming agents in most commercial shampoos, body washes and cleansers. They are super effective at stripping oil often stripping your scalp and skin of their natural protective oils, disrupting the microbiome of your skin, causing dryness, irritation and in many cases the overproduction of oil as your skin attempts to compensate. For mature skin in particular, which produces less natural oil with age, sulfates are genuinely damaging.
Synthetic Fragrance
As mentioned above, the word fragrance on an ingredient label can hide dozens of undisclosed chemicals including phthalates, allergens and synthetic musks that accumulate in body tissue. Choose products scented with pure essential oils or choose “fragrance-free” entirely.
Formaldehyde Releasers
These are preservatives that slowly release formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, into your product over time. They are found in nail polish, hair straightening treatments and some shampoos. Look for DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15 and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate.
Heavy Metals in Colour Cosmetics
This fact floored me. The average woman ingests between four and seven pounds of lipstick over her lifetime. Many conventional lipsticks, lip glosses and foundations contain lead, arsenic, cadmium and other heavy metals as contaminants in the pigments used to create colour. There is no safe level of lead exposure. It is a neurotoxin, accumulates in your tissue and is in a product most women apply directly to their lips multiple times a day.
This should not be a fringe concern. The FDA has tested commercial lipsticks and found lead in the vast majority of them. Choosing clean, independently tested colour cosmetics is not vanity but imperative for your health.
The clean beauty space has grown enormously in the past decade and the products available now are genuinely excellent performing as well as or better than their conventional counterparts without the toxic payload.
After much research and exploration here is what I use and love:
ILIA Beauty Lip Crayons and Lipstick
ILIA makes some of the most beautiful lip products available in the clean beauty space. Their lipstick is rich, hydrating and long-wearing, formulated without parabens, phthalates, sulfates or synthetic fragrance. The pigment is built from clean colour sources and the formula is nourishing enough to wear alone. For mature lips, which tend to lose definition and moisture with age, a clean hydrating liner that also conditions is exactly what you want. The colour range is sophisticated and genuinely flattering across all skin tones.
ILIA True Skin Serum Foundation
This is my foundation and it has been for some time. It gives light yet genuine coverage with a natural luminous finish that does not settle into my fine lines nor look cakey on my mature skin. I am a True Spring skin tone so I use ST8 Shela which is light, medium with warm undertones. It is an all-in-one skin tint that combines dewy makeup, powerful skincare, and mineral SPF 40. It is fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, boosts hydration and improves the appearance of pores, blemishes, redness, and wrinkles. The formula is clean, the coverage is buildable and it photographs beautifully.
PRIME Prometics Eye Pencils and Eye Liners
Prime Prometics has developed eye pencils specifically formulated for mature skin, a detail that matters to me. As the skin around my eyes becomes thinner and more delicate with age, I find that conventional kohl and liner formulas can tug, drag and settle into my fine lines. The Prime formula glides without pulling, stays put without migrating and is free of the parabens and synthetic preservatives that most conventional eye pencils contain. For anyone who has struggled to find an eye shadow that works with rather than against your mature skin, this is worth trying.
These blendable, silky-smooth, creamy contour sticks melt into my skin, delivering a seamless, natural finish. The kit includes a bronzer, blush, and highlighter for a complete sculpted look in just a few swipes. They are packed with shea butter, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E to keep your skin nourished and glowing.
Ogee Exfoliating Cleanser and Face Oil
Ogee is one of the most beautiful clean skincare brands available and their cleanser and face oil are extraordinary. The cleanser gently exfoliates leaving my skin soothed and bright. The oil is formulated around certified organic jojoba oil. It delivers deep nourishment without clogging my pores, supports my skin barrier and gives a radiant finish that works beautifully under or over foundation. Free of parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance and every other ingredient on my avoid list. It also contains certified organic ingredients at a level that most clean brands simply do not reach.
Primal Hair Strengthening Shampoo
Primals is one of the most genuinely clean haircare lines available and their shampoo is worth knowing about for anyone who has been trying to wean their scalp off the sulfate cycle. Conventional shampoos strip your scalp so thoroughly that your sebaceous glands compensate by producing more oil, meaning the more you wash the oilier your hair becomes. Primal's sulfate-free formula with honey and Rosemary oil is formulated to cleanse effectively without disrupting your scalp's natural microbiome, hydrates your scalp and prevents hair loss as we age. It is free of parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrance, silicones and every ingredient on the avoid list above. The transition period, when your scalp recalibrates after years of sulfate stripping, can take two to three weeks of adjustment but is worth every day of it. Your scalp and your hair will find their natural balance and I have noticed I need to wash mine significantly less frequently.
Tower 28 is one of the most exciting clean beauty brands to emerge in recent years and their mascara is the one I reach for now. Formulated without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrance, phthalates or any of the conventional preservatives that make most mascaras a significant source of daily chemical exposure, it delivers genuine length and definition without irritating sensitive eyes. For anyone who wears contact lenses or has found that conventional mascaras cause redness, irritation or sensitivity around the eyes, a clean formula makes an immediate and noticeable difference. Tower 28 is also fragrance-free and ophthalmologist tested, which matters more than most mascara marketing acknowledges. I love the triple wave wand and what it does on my eyes — it opens them without looking overdone and it holds beautifully through the day without flaking or smudging.
You do not need to throw everything out at once although I actually did! Begin with the products that stay on your skin the longest and are applied most frequently like your foundation, lipstick, shampoo and moisturizer. These are your highest-exposure products and replacing them when they run out, with clean alternatives makes the most meaningful difference.
If you need help deciphering your products there are apps like Think Dirty or EWG's Skin Deep database. They are comprehensive and genuinely illuminating. I am sure, like me, you will be surprised by what you find in the things you have used for years.
Remember our skin absorbs what we put on it so we need to treat it with the same care and intelligence that we bring to what you eat.
