Last week there were major reports of unacceptably high levels of lead in 33 cosmetics that were on the market. However, reports from the Department of Health in Taiwan, the US-based Cosmetics, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA) and the European Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (COLIPA) have refuted the claims.

The Department of Health representative, Liao Chi-chou released a statement that the levels of lead in cosmetics on the Taiwanese market are within the permissible range of 20 ppm. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics last week reported that of 33 lipsticks tested for lead, 61 percent contained between 0.03 to 0.65 ppm. The guide used by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics was that used for candy which used a mere 0.1 ppm. However COLIPA spokesperson, Sebastian Mark in an interview with CosmeticsDesign.com said, “The amount of lipstick that you ingest is much smaller when used normally than it would be if you ate it.”