Using lipstick too much may be bad for you
Don't use lip gloss or lipstick more than three times a day, researcher says after finding not just lead but other toxic metals in many brands
Millions of women who apply lipstick every day - sometimes more than 20 times - could be exposing themselves to toxic metals, US researchers claim.
Most lipsticks contain at least a trace of lead but a new study has found that a wide range of brands contain as many as eight other metals, from cadmium to aluminium.
Now experts are raising questions about what happens if these metals are swallowed or absorbed on a daily basis.
"It matters because this is a chronic long-term issue, not a short-term exposure," said Katharine Hammond, of the University of California, Berkeley and the lead author of the new study.
"We're not saying that anyone needs to panic. We're saying that people should not be complacent, that these are metals known to affect health."
Hammond recommends that consumers take a common-sense approach to cosmetics - and don't let young children play with lipstick.
"Treat it like something dangerous, because if they eat it we are taking about a comparatively large level of metals going into a small body," she said.