Chanel, Armani lipsticks among tested brands found to contain metal contaminants: Hong Kong consumer watchdog
- Consumer Council tests about 30 lipstick samples, with 60 per cent found to contain heightened amounts of cobalt, while 40 per cent had nickel
- Council recommends manufacturers pay special attention to raw materials that may contain allergenic heavy metals
Lipsticks from brands such as Chanel, Giorgio Armani and Estee Lauder have been found to contain at least one allergenic heavy metal that can cause skin irritations, Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has said.
The Consumer Council on Monday said that tested samples of the brands of Giorgio Armani, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Make Up Forever, MAC, Lancome, Ettusais and NARS had heightened levels of two to three allergenic metals.
Samples of L’Oreal Paris, Chanel, Tom Ford and Charlotte Tilbury were found to have a higher-than-average level of one type of such metals.
“The council recommends manufacturers to pay special attention to the raw materials that may contain allergenic heavy metals and their concentrations, and to strive to not use raw materials containing allergenic heavy metals or to minimise the use of such ingredients as much as possible,” it said.
In response to the council’s findings, ettusais, NARs, Lancome and Giorgio Armani said their products were safe and complied with global standards.