Most women can’t live without their lipstick; It is a vital part of a woman’s makeup bag and her choice of shade serves to accentuate her look. There’s a color for every occasion and every complexion, and whether your favorite is poppy red, neutral peach, or deep plum, it’s likely to be on your lips every day when you leave the house.

But have you ever thought about what goes into your lipstick? Since it’s on your lips most of the time, it’s likely that you’ll ingest at least part of it into your body. In fact, research suggests that the average woman will consume at least 4 pounds of lipstick during her lifetime.

Unfortunately, there are some very commonly used ingredients in cosmetics that you probably don’t want to eat. Did you know that lipsticks can contain crushed beetles? If you can find a reference to ‘Carmine’, ‘Cochineal’ or CI 75470 in your lipstick ingredients, then yours does have beetle shells.

squashed insects

Carmine is usually created by boiling dried mealybugs in water, straining out the hard matter, and then treating the solution with alum. It takes 70,000 insects to make one pound of cochineal dye!

Beetle shell may seem like an unusual ingredient for lipsticks, but it is an effective red pigment used in a variety of cosmetics. In addition to lipsticks, it is found in foundations, nail polishes, and some baby products. Outside of the world of cosmetics, it is also used as a food coloring and is sometimes found in foods like ice cream, strawberry milk, and fruit juices.

However, crushed insect shells aren’t the only unsavory ingredient you might find in your lipstick. Research from 2004 shows that up to 28% of lipsticks contain suspected carcinogens (cancer-causing agents).

Coal tars and artificial colors

There are a number of ingredients commonly used in lipsticks that are believed to have carcinogenic properties. Many of these ingredients are the dyes that are used to achieve the wide variety of shades in which lipsticks are presented.

Coal tar derivatives are used to create a range of colors that may be pleasing to the eye but may not be so good for your health. Some coal tar dyes have already been banned and almost all have been found to cause cancer in animals. In addition, they are very common sources of allergic reactions in some people, causing skin rashes and hives.

Artificial colors can be problematic in lipsticks, as many have not been tested for carcinogenicity and, like coal tar dyes, can cause allergic reactions.

The following are colors to avoid: CI 45425, FD&C Brilliant Blue (CI 42090), Acid Yellow 23 (CI 19140), and Sunset Yellow (CI 15985). However, there are so many questions looming over coal tar and synthetic colors that it is certainly not exhaustive.

Natural and organic lipsticks: non-toxic beauty

If you’re worried about the content of your lipstick, don’t worry; there are safer alternatives out there. Choose a natural and organic lipstick without coal tar derivatives, artificial colors or squashed insects and you can continue to enjoy your look, without worrying about what you are applying to your lips.