“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.

Chanel said that its products complied with local cosmetic regulations and that their products had all passed skin safety and other assessments before being put on the market.

The supplier of Make Up Forever products said it would consider minimising any allergy-causing substances, as well as adding expiry dates to packages.

The Post contacted Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Lancome, MAC, L’Oreal Paris, Tom Ford and Charlotte Tilbury for comment.

Hong Kong watchdog finds safety risks in 2 of 40 tested probiotic products

The watchdog tested about 30 lipstick, lip tints and liquid lipstick products available in Hong Kong and found that 60 per cent of them contained heightened amounts of cobalt, while 40 per cent had nickel.

Nickel and Cobalt, which are known allergens, can cause skin irritations.

Repeated use of products containing nickel could cause skin irritations such as peeling, fissures, swelling, burning, and rashes, the watchdog said, adding that most people allergic to nickel were also allergic to cobalt.

Of the tested lipsticks, Dior’s HK$370 (US$47) refillable Hydrating Shine Lipstick performed the best in the test, with no detection of allergenic metals or mineral oil substances.

According to the watchdog, the recommended level of allergenic heavy metals is around 1 milligram for every kilogram.

A HK$320 tube of Estee Lauder’s Pure Color Cream Lipstick contained the highest levels of both metals, with 3.3mg/kg of nickel and 1.7mg/kg of cobalt. MAC’s HK$200 Lustreglass Lipstick had the second-highest traces of nickel, at 2.4mg/kg.

Metal in your chocolate? Hong Kong consumer watchdog warns of cadmium traces

Lipsticks by Chanel and Georgio Armani also contained heightened levels of nickel, with a HK$380 tube of the latter containing about 1.8 mg/kg and 2.4mg/kg of chromium – another allergenic heavy metal.

A liquid lipstick by Charlotte Tilbury, an upstart cosmetics brand from the United Kingdom, was also found to have heightened levels of nickel at 1.5mg/kg. The watchdog said the product also contained “relatively high” amounts of the fragrance allergen benzyl benzoate.

The watchdog also found that 80 per cent of the products it tested contained mineral oil-saturated hydrocarbons (Mosh). Nine lipsticks were found to contain traces of Mosh higher than the standards set by Cosmetics Europe and European Consumer Organisation.

Hong Kong consumer watchdog says complaints over cosmetic tattoos have doubled

Mosh are known to accumulate in human body tissue, including liver, spleen and lymph nodes, but have yet to be linked to long-term health concerns, according to the watchdog.

The council advised consumers to immediately stop using any lip care product if they started to develop redness, itching, swelling or peeling. They also advised people prone to allergic skin reactions to avoid products that had been known to contain heavy metals.

It asked consumers who frequently licked their lips to avoid products containing mineral oil substances and to wipe off lipstick before eating or drinking to avoid ingesting the substances.