I'm sure that by now all of you have heard the buzz about the report released by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics about potentially toxic amounts of lead in lipstick. Honestly, I wasn't even going to go near this issue on the blog, because personally I found the report to be full of fearmongering tactics and misdirection.

And I figured if I posted these opinions, I'd surely be attacked.

Well, I was pleased to find out that Paula Begoun (aka the Cosmetics Cop) agrees with me on all counts, so maybe that lends a little more credibility to the argument. In her Special Report, she cites the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics as "swift in crafting a press release that is the very definition of fear mongering." I couldn't agree more.

From Paula's report:

"Interestingly, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' report on lead in lipsticks does not provide a single reference demonstrating minute amounts of lead in lipsticks are a problem. All of their sources have to do with occupational and/or environmental exposure to heavy metals (lead included), not cosmetics usage."

The key takeaway here is, while we do ingest some of the lipstick we wear, it's not as if we're chewing up entire tubes and eating them. So the exposure levels cited by the Campaign and likely overstated. And check out this little nugget:

"Why is the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics blitzing the media with their report on lead in lipsticks when the average person gets more lead exposure simply standing on a busy street corner in a major city or drinking tap water? Granted, this group's concern is cosmetics, but rallying for lipsticks with trace amounts of lead to be recalled and immediately reformulated is making a mountain out of a molehill."

Now, Paula and I don't always agree (she hates blue eyeshadow and shimmer) but she makes a very rational point in her report. Be an educated consumer, sure - but don't fall victim to scare tactics from "advocacy groups" before researching the claims yourself and seeking unbiased sources.

I strongly encourage anyone who is worried over the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' report to read Paula's Special Report here:

Paula Begoun's Beauty Bulletin: Special Report - Lethal Lipsticks?