Though most of the products’ lead content was low, Smith said, people are often exposed for years on end, considerably increasing the danger. “Therefore, we can assume these exposures are contributing to health impacts.” “When we find these chemicals in products applied directly to our bodies, we know people are being exposed,” Smith added. There is “no known safe level of lead exposure,” said Marissa Smith, Washington state’s senior regulatory toxicologist, and formaldehyde is also a carcinogen. That’s because arsenic and lead have been linked to brain and nervous system damage and cancer. The Washington report’s authors said European Union countries ban products like the dark-tint CoverGirl foundation. Subscribe to KFF Health News' free Morning Briefing. “Nominal traces of certain elements may sometimes be present in product formulations as a consequence of natural mineral origin, as permitted by applicable law,” Miriam Mahlow, a spokesperson for CoverGirl parent company Coty Inc., said in an emailed statement. Markwins Beauty Brands did not respond to requests for comment. “Companies are adding preservatives like formaldehyde to cosmetics products,” said Iris Deng, a toxics researcher for the Washington State Department of Ecology. Researchers then tested 50 cosmetics purchased at Walmart, Target, and Dollar Tree, among other shops. Research teams asked Hispanic, Black, and multiracial women what beauty products they used. CoverGirl Continuous Color Lipstick and Markwins Beauty Brands’ Black Radiance Pressed Powder foundation were among other products from various brands containing lead, the report found. This year, lawmakers have additional context after a report commissioned by the legislature and published by the state Department of Ecology in January found multiple products with concerning levels of hazardous chemicals, including lead and arsenic in dark-tint CoverGirl Clean Fresh Pressed Powder foundation. The Washington state legislation is a second attempt at passing the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, after legislators approved a bill in 2022 that was stripped of the ban on toxic ingredients in cosmetics. The potential exposure to toxicants in cosmetics is especially worrisome for women of color, because studies show that Black women use more hair products than women of other racial groups and that Hispanic and Asian women have reported using more cosmetics in general than non-Hispanic Black and white women. “That’s why states are helping create a solution - it’s a patchwork approach.” “Lots of products on the market aren’t safe,” Shamasunder said. And that has left a regulatory void, as lax federal oversight allows potentially toxic products that would be banned in Europe to be sold in American stores. stalled out on chemical regulations after the 1970s, according to Bhavna Shamasunder, an urban and environmental policy associate professor at Occidental College.
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