What is a Lipstick made of?
What is a Lipstick made of?
Castor oil carrying pigment, set into a stick with waxes — the oil is the workhorse, not the colour.
A long-wear lipstick works on a different principle from a classic bullet: it is a volatile silicone or isododecane solvent carrying film-forming polymers and pigment, which deposits a stain as the solvent evaporates, and the gloss is added back on top separately. Trace lead in lipstick has been repeatedly tested by the US FDA, which found levels far below any level of concern and set a recommended maximum of 10 ppm — the lead is a contaminant of mineral pigments rather than an ingredient. The other persistent question is simpler to answer: carmine is on the label as CI 75470 or cochineal extract, and its presence is the usual reason a red lipstick is not vegan.
Component by component
| Part | Material | Why that material |
|---|---|---|
| oil phase | castor oil, with lanolin, esters or silicone oils, 40-60% | Castor oil is unusually good at dissolving and dispersing the organic pigments used in lipstick, and it dries to a glossy film. |
| wax structure | carnauba, candelilla, beeswax and ozokerite, 10-20% | The waxes are what let a soft oil paste stand up as a stick and survive a warm handbag without slumping. |
| colour | iron oxides, titanium dioxide, and organic dyes precipitated onto insoluble lakes | A lake is a dye locked onto a mineral particle so it colours the lip surface without staining through it. |
| red pigment | carmine, from cochineal insects, in many classic reds | No synthetic red of comparable safety and blue-red tone has fully replaced it, which is why many lipsticks are not vegan. |
| finish modifiers | mica and synthetic fluorphlogopite for shimmer, silica for matte | Matte formulas are the same base with more powder and less oil, which is why they last longer and feel drier. |
Other around the house objects
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- Coin Base-metal alloys chosen for wear and cost — most modern "silver" coins are copper-nickel and most "copper" ones are plated steel or zinc.
- Sunscreen UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Credit card Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- Candle Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- Shampoo Three-quarters water, a primary detergent, a milder secondary one, salt to thicken, and silicone to make hair feel smooth.
- Balloon Party balloons are dipped natural rubber latex; foil balloons are metallised plastic film and are not rubber at all.
- Deodorant Deodorant kills the bacteria that cause the smell; antiperspirant uses aluminium salts to plug the sweat duct. Different products.
- Toothbrush Nylon filaments stapled into a polypropylene handle with a wire — three plastics that cannot be separated for recycling.
Common questions
- What is a Lipstick made of?
- Castor oil carrying pigment, set into a stick with waxes — the oil is the workhorse, not the colour.
- What is the oil phase of a Lipstick made of?
- Castor oil, with lanolin, esters or silicone oils, 40-60%. Castor oil is unusually good at dissolving and dispersing the organic pigments used in lipstick, and it dries to a glossy film.
- What is the wax structure of a Lipstick made of?
- Carnauba, candelilla, beeswax and ozokerite, 10-20%. The waxes are what let a soft oil paste stand up as a stick and survive a warm handbag without slumping.
Related pages
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- Coin Base-metal alloys chosen for wear and cost — most modern "silver" coins are copper-nickel and most "copper" ones are plated steel or zinc.
- Sunscreen UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Credit card Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- Candle Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- Pencil Stationery and paper
- Tennis ball Sport and games
- Golf ball Sport and games
- Paper Stationery and paper
- Glass Building materials
- Soccer ball Sport and games
Sources
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place