Lipsticks and kashrut

amother

Royalblue

Tue, Sep 19 2017, 5:55 am

Don't laugh - I haven't used lipstick in decades (quite literally) but I would like to. It's not so much a done thing in my community so I feel silly to ask people directly. Looking at lipsticks, liners and gloss in shops I've noticed that they contain a lot of ingredients that might be not kosher, like fats and lipids derived from animals, cochenille red etc. I looked around for lipsticks with a hechsher but couldn't find. I'm in Israel, by the way. Are there any kosher brands out there? Does anyone use non-kosher ones (and did they get a heter for that?)

FranticFrummie

Tue, Sep 19 2017, 6:00 am

I recently shopped for lip gloss in Israel, and one of them had a sticker on it that said that it contained non-kosher ingredients! "This product contains carmine, which is made from dried beetles." shock

For makeup brands, look for organic ones like Rachael Perry. The colors are soft and natural, and made from things like beet and berry juices. No animal ingredients at all.

Also, search Etsy for "vegan makeup". My friend Dory at Pink Quartz Minerals makes beautiful shabbos makeup, and will help you find the perfect color.

amother

Royalblue

Tue, Sep 19 2017, 10:07 am

Ruchel wrote:

OH lol a heter... Rashi mentions treating injuries and diseases with lard... NO I don't have "a heter". I use any lipstick because to my rabbis it's not food.

OP here. Not food, granted, but bits of it end up in your food any time you eat while painted... I don't want treif animal fats or crushed beetle extract in my mouth, even if they're non-food. I asked about the "heter" because I wanted to know what other people do. I'm still looking for kosher or vegan stuff. (Funny thing is, there are kosher hair shampoos, soaps and hand creams with a hechsher in any old supermarket or drug store here, but no lipsticks)

Injuries and diseases is a different topic. Medications, historic or modern, have different rules. And putting on lipstick isn't usually pikuach nefesh... Wink

miami85

Tue, Sep 19 2017, 10:36 am

Whatever comes off your lips would definitely be batul b'shishim. I've heard that Arbonne is vegan lipstick. I would think the long-lasting lipsticks have fewer oils in them--which is how they last. I've heard that Burt's Beeswax lip balms are Ok b/c they are unflavored--even though "beeswax" isnt "kosher". Some people are more machmir regarding lipsticks, but I've never heard it to be an outright problem.

doctorima

Tue, Sep 19 2017, 11:02 am

The Star-K seems to say it's fine, while the OU says there are differing opinions:
https://www.star-k.org/article.....tics/
https://oukosher.org/passover/.....icks/

And here's a thread on the topic from many years ago (I assume the halachos haven't changed since then):
http://www.imamother.com/forum.....=1850

BH5745

Sat, Sep 23 2017, 5:41 pm

There is one drugstore in Jerusalem at Center One mall (on Yaffo, right near the main bus station) which sells at least two brands of kosher certified makeup, including lipstick. I forget the brands, but I recently saw them there.

For me what's been the cheapest and best solution is ordering vegan lipstick/lip gloss from iHerb. The vegan brands sold there include "Pacifica," (that's my personal favorite) "Honeybee Gardens," "Alba Botanicals" and "Eccobella." I'm also in Eretz Yisroel, and standard DHL shipping with iHerb costs me only $2-3 per order! I order up to $70 worth of products at a time, so it stays under the $75 goods+shipping cost limit to avoid paying duties. Plus DHL delivers my package right to my front door, so I don't even have to pick it up at the post. Basically you'll be paying American prices with a minimal delivery charge for DHL(!), and shipping typically takes around a week.

DrMom

Sun, Sep 24 2017, 4:05 am

Here is an article by the Star-K regarding kashrut and lipsticks:
(The article goes on to discuss Pesach stringencies, but the first part is for the rest of the year):

https://www.star-k.org/article.....tics/

Quote:

I. Kashrus

We are familiar with the Torah law prohibiting one from eating non-kosher food. This halacha only prohibits the consumption of non-kosher food. One may, however, derive benefit from non-kosher food. The “minhag haolam” (custom) is to include in this category the application of non-kosher cosmetics to the skin. For example, it is permissible for one to apply facial creams or lotions containing animal derivatives. One may even apply non-kosher ingredients to one’s lips (e.g. lipstick, lip balm). This is true even though one may inadvertently swallow traces of lipstick that mix with food. These trace amounts of lipstick are batel b’shishim (1:60 or less).

If there is no intention to swallow a non-food product (e.g. toothpaste, mouthwash, floss), one need not worry about the ingredients. Nonetheless, it is a hiddur to use kosher products if they might inadvertently be swallowed. If a product is intentionally swallowed (e.g. breath spray and breath freshener strips), the product requires kosher certification.