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Breaking Down Lipstick Types Breaking Down Lipstick TypesEach year the cosmetics industry comes out with the latest and greatest lipstick formulas, making it hard to keep up with. Looking for a new addition to your makeup bag? Then you may want to check out what’s new in the world of lipstick and what types are the most popular. The more you know, the easier it’ll be to find your favorite lipstick the next time you go shopping. Looking at the infinite collections of lipstick on display at most makeup counters can be quite overwhelming.

You don’t want to spend money on the wrong item so it helps to understand the terms and what they mean so you’ll know exactly what you’re buying. The most common types of lipstick formulas are matte, cream, moisturizing, satin/sheer, frosted, transfer-resistant, and long-wearing. Transfer-resistant and long-wearing formulas are pretty self-explanatory. Transfer-resistant lipstick is ideal for women who are tired of their lip color getting onto their clothing or on their food and glasses, instead of staying on their lips.

Most transfer-resistant lipsticks last for eight hours, making for lip color that you won’t need to constantly retouch. As the name implies, long-wearing lipstick formulas last for 4-6 hours but can feel slightly dry. The best long-wearing lipstick formulas contain natural moisturizers such as aloe and vitamin E. Matte lipstick is not shiny or glossy but instead provides the lips with a more opaque color. Cream lipstick formulas are great at keeping the lips moisturized and contain light waxes but tend to not last as long.

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Lipsticks that are labeled “moisturizing” contain ingredients like aloe and vitamin E that not only hydrate the lips but allow the color to go on smooth and shiny. This formula doesn’t tend to offer long-lasting color, however. Frosted lipsticks give off a shimmery color that tends to reflect the light. The shades are often metallic in color. Satin/sheer lipstick is glossy and moisturizes the lips but unfortunately needs reapplication over time. You can choose from traditional tube lipstick, lip color in a bottle (like lip gloss) or lip stains. Tube lipstick has continued to be popular throughout the years and is the most common type of lipstick where you can choose from the formulas described above. Lip color in a bottle and lip glosses usually come with its own wand and is easy to apply when you’re on the go. Most lip color in a bottle also offers gloss, frosted, moisturizing or satin/sheer formulas. Lip stains are ideal for lip color that is long-lasting and give off rich and vibrant colors. Lip stains come with their own lip brush but the drawback is that once the stain dries on your lips it can’t be wiped off or blended so if you make any mistakes, you’ll have a tough time correcting them. That’s why practice makes perfect! Lipstick and Lead: The Controversy and the Danger Lipstick and Lead: The Controversy and the DangerThe Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC), a consumer rights group based in the United States, has reported that tests conducted in Santa Fe Springs, CA by the Bodycote Testing Group on 33 brand name red lipsticks revealed that 61% of them had detectable levels of lead. The levels reported ranged from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm). So what does that mean for those of us who probably use one of the brands tested? Since lipstick is used on the lips, it naturally gets ingested in small quantities throughout the day – whether through eating or drinking or just the occasional wetting of the lips. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet published a limit on the amount of lead that is allowable in lipstick, although it does limit the concentration of lead in other products such as candy (which is ingested in much larger quantities than lipstick) to 0.1 ppm (although until recently it was 0.5 ppm). The CSC report claims that one third of the lipsticks tested exceeded that level. Of course, to be fair to the manufacturers, 39% of the lipsticks tested had no detectable levels of lead and no one is eating lipsticks by the bagful. The FDA limits on lead in candy were established to prevent children from ingesting harmful quantities of lead. In high enough doses, lead can cause a variety of learning, language and behavioral problems. These include increased aggression and decreased scholastic performance. The risk of these conditions is increased in younger children. In addition, pregnant women are particularly at risk when exposed to lead as it has been linked to miscarriage and infertility. But lipstick is not candy nor is it something likely to spend a lot of time in the mouth of a small child. Furthermore, there have been no cases in the United States of lead poisoning or contamination. The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association issued a statement that said that lead was a naturally occurring element which was not added to cosmetics intentionally. According to the statement, the FDA does have limits on allowable lead levels in the colors used in lipsticks and other cosmetics and the products identified in the CSC report meet those standards. One cosmetics manufacturer said in a statement that the amount of lead a consumer might be exposed to through lipstick “is hundreds of times less than the amount that she would get from eating, breathing and drinking water.” Dr. Mark Mitchell, president of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice countered this statement by saying, “Lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels. The latest studies show there is no safe level of lead exposure.” The debate will continue until (and perhaps after) the FDA issues a standard for lead in lipsticks. Until then, it’s up to you. If the possibility of there being trace amounts of lead in your lipstick worries you, a quick search of the Internet or a trip to the cosmetics counter can give you some brand name options that have not been shown to contain lead. This may be a good idea if you are pregnant or are trying to conceive. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.