LIPSTICK FOREVER  

Lipsticks have been around for a long time. According to Meg Cohen Ragas and Karen Kozlowski in their book, "Read My Lips: A Cultural History of Lipstick," a reddish purple mercuric plant dye called fucus--algin, 0.01% iodine, and some bromine mannite--was used for lip rouge in Egypt. Little did the ancient Egyptians know that it was potentially poisonous--talk about the kiss of death!
Lipstick contains a variety of waxes, oils, pigments, and emollients. Among the waxes are beeswax, a substance obtained from bee honeycombs, carnauba wax, exudates from the pores of leaves of Brazilian wax palm trees, and candelilla wax, obtained from the candelilla plant and produced in Mexico by immersing the plants in boiling water containing sulfuric acid and skimming off the wax that rises to the surface.
The oils and fats used in lipstick include olive oil, mineral oil, castor oil, cocoa butter, lanolin, and petrolatum. More than 50% of lipsticks manufactured contain substantial amounts of castor oil. It forms a tough, shiny film when it dries after application. However, ingestion of large amounts of castor oil may cause frequent rest-room visits!
Recently, ingredients such as moisturizers, vitamin E, aloe vera, collagen, amino acids, and sunscreen have been added to lipstick.

Lipsticks get color from added pigments. Among them are bromo acid, D&C Red No. 21, and related dyes. Other common lipstick dyes are D&C Red No. 27 and insoluble dyes, such as D&C Red No. 34, Calcium lake, and D&C Orange No. 17. Pink shades are made by mixing titanium dioxide with various shades of red.
Making lipstick is similar to making crayons-- mixing, stirring and heating. The mixture is finely ground. The waxes are added for texture and to maintain stiffness. Oils and lanolin are added for specific formula requirements. The hot liquid is then poured into cold metal molds where it solidifies and is further chilled. The formed lipstick is put through a flame for about half a second to create a smooth and glossy finish.
From the oven to the store comes a variety of lipsticks: frosted, mattes, sheers, stains, and long-lasting color. Frosted lipsticks include a pearlizing agent that adds luster to the color. It can contain fish scales, or rather, the "shimmery" substance of fish scales called "pearl essence". Pearl essence is obtained primarily from herring and is one of many by-products of large-scale commercial fish processing. Also a bismuth compound Bismuth oxychloride, which is synthetic pearl, is used. Most bismuth compounds used in cosmetics have low toxicity when ingested, but they may cause allergic reactions when applied to skin.
Matte lipsticks are heavy in wax and pigment but lighter in emollients. Cremes are a balance of shine and texture. Glosses have a high shine and low color. Sheers and stains contain a lot of oil and a medium amount of wax with a tad of color. Shimmers have extra glimmer, which comes from mica or silica particles. Long-lasting color lipsticks contain silicone oil, which seals the color to your lips. Lip gloss contains different proportions of the same ingredients as lipstick but usually has less wax and more oil.
Two things follow from all this. First, lipsticks are very much wanted, while traces left by them are not. Very similar to bullets! A 1996 Shisedo Cosmetics (Tokyo) survey showed that 87% of women admit to having left traces of lipstick in unwanted places. Second, until recently, you probably never thought of reading the label on a lipstick to see what it contains. Now you may think of doing that. Then you are alerted. If after reading this, you are skeptical of using lipsticks, we succeeded changing your thinking. And if you don't care at all, then you are the one for whom lipsticks will live forever. 

Peter Williams