Hong Kong study finds 80% of cream eyeshadows contain heavy metals

A study by the Consumer Council in Hong Kong has found allergenic heavy metals in 80% of cream and liquid eyeshadows. The council is urging manufacturers to re-formulate and increase ingredient transparency. 

The council tested 25 eyeshadows and found seven contained potential environmental pollutants 130 times above the European legal safety limit. Ten products only listed ingredients in Japanese, and nine lacked expiration dates or period-after-opening (PAO) information. 

The council urges the industry to include ingredient lists, expiration dates, and PAO on the packaging to help consumers make informed choices and identify potential health risks and environmental pollutants. 

Meanwhile, it is also urging authorities to push labeling requirements for cosmetic products.

Heavy on the eyes

The testing included 10 eyeshadow crayons/sticks, seven cream eyeshadows, and eight liquid eyeshadows. According to the researchers, 15 of those claimed to have a long-lasting hold of up to 24 hours.

The council tested for arsenic, mercury, lead, and cadmium and found that no products exceeded the safety limit set by the Mainland’s “Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics” — the leading technical standard for cosmetics supervision and testing in China. 

However, the test also included nickel, antimony, cobalt, and chromium, which can cause skin irritation or allergies. 

Eighteen products were found to contain two of the four heavy metals. All have a safety limit of 1 mg per kilo. Two products had cobalt levels higher than the safety standard, and 18 had chromium levels above the set limit. 

The council stresses that three products did not contain any heavy metals, highlighting the possibility of formulation without these ingredients. 

E5 and E6 are polluting, and widespread use will release them into the environment.Environmental pollutants

Seven products contained cyclosiloxane compounds, including cyclopentasiloxane (D5) and cyclohexasiloxane (D6), which the EU has classified as substances with “very high concern” due to their highly persistent and bioaccumulative properties. 

According to the EU REACH regulation taking effect in 2027, the concentration of D5 and D6 in leave-on cosmetics must be below 0.1%. In the products tested, the amount ranged between 0.45% to 13.49%, the council stresses.

E5 has also been classified as an endocrine disruptor, impacting human hormones including growth, metabolism, and reproduction.

Including these substances may enhance a product’s spreadability, making it more even on the skin, giving it a smooth texture, and allowing pigmentation.

However, these substances are polluting, and widespread use will release them into the environment. They were mainly found in eye crayons, sticks, and cream eyeshadows, whereas all seven products tested contained D5, and two contained D6. 

“However, the ingredient information listed on the product labels or official websites of four models found with D5 or D6 showed variance with the test results,” states the council.