The kiss of death. Mercury in lip colors.

November 10, 2010

One of the dyes that ancient Egyptians used for lip rouge was cinnabar, an intensely red pigment that painters used (including the cave painters of 20,000 years ago). Cinnabar is mercury sulfide and they never knew it was potentially poisonous.
For centuries bright red lips were associated with prostitutes and actresses and lip color did not become acceptable for “nice women” until after World War I. The early lipsticks were greasy and tended to go rancid. For this reason, the New York Board of Health considered banning lipstick in 1924, not because of what it might do to the women who wore it, but because of worry that it might poison the men who kissed the women who wore it. History repeats itself as there have been recent reports about mercury in current lip color products, including products from large cosmetic houses. Rest easy as lip colors from the Abbey pose no problem in this area.

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