Product Review: The Cancer Council Australia Sun Care Cosmetics Lipstick SPF 30+
The skin on the lips is as susceptible to sun damage as anywhere else. Unfortunately, according to a University of Texas at Austin survey cited in the December 2007 Allure magazine, 71 percent of women do not apply sunscreen to their lips. Thankfully, the following The Cancer Council Australia Sun Care Cosmetics Lipsticks SPF 30+ ($20.00, Sasa.com) offer broad-spectrum UVA/UVB with a high SPF - the highest SPF I have found in a lipstick thus far. In eight different shades, surely there is one that looks (and does) good. For those who prefer lip gloss, The Cancer Council Australia Sun Care Cosmetics Moisturizing Lip Gloss SPF 30+ ($16.50, Sasa.com) offers the same sun protection for a few dollars less.
I particularly love the idea of a high SPF in a lipstick because the SPF on a cosmetics product is rarely the SPF offered with regular application. For instance, any powder product requires about 14 times the amount of normal powder application to receive the SPF listed on the package. So imagine if you lightly apply lipstick, how little SPF you get from a product with SPF 15! At least these lip products offer twice this.
The sunscreen ingredients in the lipsticks are Octyl Methoxycinnamate and Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane; according to Cosmetic Dermatology, patients who are allergic to cinnamic aldehyde and cinnamon oil may also be allergic to octyl methoxycinnamate. Other ingredients include moisturizing lanolin oil and antioxidant vitamin E.
At any rate, an excellent product! Product rating: 9.5/10
Ingredients
Ricinus Communis (Castor Seed) Oil
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Lanolin Oil
Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax
Ozokerite
Microcrystalline Wax (Cera
Microcristallina)
Polybutene
Synthetic Wax
Butylparaben
Tocopherol
Propyl Gallate
May Contain (+/-):
Iron Oxides (CI 77489, CI 77491, CI
77492, CI 77499)
Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)
Mica
Orange 5 (CI 45370) Lake
Red 6 (CI 15850) Lake
Red 7 (CI 15850) Lake
Blue 1 (CI 42090) Lake
Yellow 5 (CI 19140) Lake
