by theglamscientist | | lipgloss, lipstick, nail polish, speech, the lipstick theory |
I’ve been away from the blog for far too long, but with good reason. Things are picking up in the lab and I’ve been working on a little personal and career development. I recently joined Toastmasters International which is a world reknown public speaking and leadership organization. My primary goal was to refine my speaking skills to position me for a few business goals. I decided to that the cosmetics industry would be the general topic of all of my speeches. This week’s speech covered the lipstick theory which I thought to be both timely and interesting. I thought I would share a synopsis of the speech here to let you all into another part of my Glam World. 🙂
The lipstick theory arose out of the fact that in spite of economic disaster, women still purchased lipstick. It is representative of the idea that people always need a touch of luxury, even if it is an “affordable luxury” like lipstick. The theory held weight in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks when key players in the industry like Estee Lauder saw an increase in their cosmetics sales. While 9/11 was not quite a major economic disaster, it was certainly a precursor for what we face today.
The recession has shown that the lipstick theory is plausible, although it may be due for a name change. Nail polish has risen as the ultimate female recession buster which is not a great surprise considering the similarities. Both lipstick (lipgloss) and nail polish come in a multitude of colors, styles and textures so there is something for everybody. Color has a way of altering moods and complimenting personalities and styles. Personally, lipgloss and nail polish make me feel feminine and can instantly boost my mood. Women love to feel pretty so even if we can’t afford a fancy dress or the fab shoes of the season, we can usually splurge on choice glam cosmetics.
Clearly, this is not the 6 and 1/2 minute speech I gave at my club earlier this week, but that’s it in a nutshell (minus the quotes and the numbers, etc). You can expect more of my speech summaries in future blogs. 🙂
by theglamscientist | | lead, lipstick, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics |
Lead is not really a new fear factor. We have known for at least 2 decades that lead based paint is a “no-no”, especially if you have small children. In more recent years scientists and health professionals have begun to point out lead content in other items that are typically ingested. The FDA currently regulates lead content in candy and food/cosmetic dyes. Unfortunately, no level of lead is deemed safe for ingestion, so even with regulation, there is still the possibility of ill-effects. The real purpose of this post is to discuss the dangers of lead because it can be ingested from your use of lipstick.
It is estimated that over a lifetime, the average woman ingests 4-10 lbs of lipstick. That is an awful lot when you consider how little you put on at a time. Imagine for a second eating lipstick by the tube… each is probably about a half ounce (I don’t really know, just roll with me.) There are 16 oz in a lb… so 1 lb of lipstick is 32 sticks… times 10… that’s 320 tubes of lipstick!!! Enough of the numbers, my point is, eating that much lipstick with a lead content of any amount is playing with fire.
Lead is harmful in that it has been found to be a neurotoxin that hinders learning, language and behavioral development, lowers IQ, and can cause increased aggression in some individuals. The problem is so major because the body cannot process and eliminate lead, so what is ingested over time will remain built up inside you.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics conducted an in depth study of lead levels 33 popular lipsticks on the market. What they found is only 39% of the lipsticks they tested showed no detectable levels of lead. This means chances are, your favorite lipstick is toxic– Buyer BEWARE!
There are some natural alternatives that are lead free, but they are a little harder to find. My suggestion is to scour the internet and support your handmade cosmetic companies. Click here to view the full report A Poison Kiss: The Problem of Lead in Lipstick.
Intelligence is the ultimate glam accessory… don’t ruin it with lead exposure!
