Makeup items can be as complicated and filled with mysterious ingredients as any other mass-produced industrial product, and it’s an uncomfortable reality that requires attention and regulation to ensure customer safety. A cosmetic label can be changed after a recall or other prevention effort to reflect better policing.
The AFP has reported that the Philippines is on alert, due to several different brands of unlicensed Chinese lipstick that are thought to have been contaminated with lead and pose a danger to consumers. In this case, it appears that these products are counterfeit knock-offs that have evaded regulation.
In the official press release on the Philipines’ Food and Drug Administration website, the agency lists 13 different products that it is warning shoppers about, as well as encouraging its customers to check which brands have received approval.
What makes this situation difficult is that some items, such as lipstick, are naturally made in proximity to potentially harmful material and could easily be produced with more toxic amounts than intended.
“Heavy metals are inherently present in pigments (colorants) and in some raw materials that are used in producing lipsticks,” the release says. It’s more logical from this perspective to focus on making sure products keep their lead content low by using official standards as guidelines, it asserts.
Making labels that denote this should therefore be a high priority, both out of a sense of compliance with the government and fairness for the consumer. Beauty companies should check each and every cosmetic label they produce to ensure that it is correct and keeps a target on consumer safety.
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