It is a gesture that is sometimes repeated several times a day to avoid having dry or chapped lips: apply lip balm. But now, this Tuesday, September 26, 2017, the UFC-Que Choisir * points the finger at this category of product, which according to her would have adverse consequences for our health.

The consumer association reveals the results of a comparative study for which it tested 21 products sold in supermarkets, specialized in cosmetics, pharmacies and parapharmacies. Among them, 10 references contain toxic substances for the body, including endocrine disruptors and carcinogenic mineral oils (Mosh C16 to C35 and Moah).

Toxic substances that accumulate in organs

"We found residues, one is carcinogenic, the other seems to be toxic, and especially they accumulate, both in the liver and lymph nodes," said France Info ** Fabienne Maleysson, a journalist for UFC-Que Choisir, about mineral oils.

And to add that they do not know exactly what the consequences are for the body, but studies have shown that some people contain up to 5 grams in the body, so it is estimated that it is not at all desirable. "

A dangerous conservative for children found in three references

Of the products tested, three contain BHT, a preservative considered as an endocrine disruptor "which is not the most nasty" according to the association, but "that the manufacturers should not introduce at all in products likely to be used in children and pregnant women. "

Barbara Demeinex, a biologist and endocrine disruptor specialist, also spoke on the subject, calling on consumers to be very cautious: "We are exposed to so many harmful products, whether in cosmetics, but also in what one eats, by the pesticides thus to add one on the mucous membranes of the lips, where it is very fast absorption, it is clearly not a good thing. "

For its part, the French Federation of Beauty Companies (FEBEA) recalls that "the use of mineral oils is subject to two conditions strictly defined by the European regulation on cosmetic products.In Europe, mineral oils are allowed only if it is established that the substance from which these oils are produced is not carcinogenic and that the complete history of refining is known ".

It also specifies that, like any other cosmetic product, lip balms have been the subject of a safety assessment which " guarantees that the quantities of mineral oils (MOSH) used are much lower than the daily quantity permitted for food, defined by EFSA (European Food Safety Agency) ".

Ideally, it is still not advisable to spend your tongue on lips covered with balm to avoid ingesting it and not to apply it too thickly layer.

* Quechoisir.org
** http://www.francetvinfo.fr
*** (1223/2009)