Lip Gloss May Raise Skin Cancer Risk

As I was getting reading to leave for class yesterday, I had the noon news on in the background. Just as I was about to turn the television off and head out the door, the news began to break for commercial and in their list of stories to come, one caught my eye...New Health Risk Associated With Lip Gloss. What?!?! I wear lip gloss everyday! So of course I sat there and waited for 20 minutes before they finally got to the story. A new research study shows that lip glosses, particularly shiney glosses, attract harmful UV sunrays and thus raise the risk of skin cancer. A quick Google Search returns a bunch of news stories about this.

Now, I don't know what types of lipglosses they used during this study. I say that because as you all know, many lip glosses now come with SPF included in them. So it would be interesting to see if they only focused on lip glosses lacking some sort of protection already built into them. The study suggests that you put some sort of sun protection (they recommend 30 SPF) on your lips first and then put your gloss on top.

So, here are some of my favorite lippies that already contain some SPF in them. First and foremost, Tarte 24/7 Lip Sheers SPF 15. I actually already do use this as a base for some of my lip glosses. The texture is so wonderfully smooth and it makes my lips feel so hydrated. The coverage is great, the colors are great.

Next, (and I actually think this one is tied for first), Bare Escentuals Lip Guards SPF 15. Just as sheer and beautiful as the Tarte Lip Sheers, I absolutely love how these lippies feel on. After using these for just a few days, my lips were noticably softer. And I love the containers these come in. I will say, I have never been a fan of the tubs that have the little hole in the slanted plastic top. That plastic top always seemed to make the gloss messier than it needed to be, slopping it around all over the place. The wonderful people at Bare Escentuals fixed that problem by applying a sponge like material on the top. I love it. If you have not tried this product yet, you absolutely must. One other thing about this product, while I love my Tarte Lip Sheers, they are not a hot summer day in Chicago's best friend. I usually cannot leave the Lip Sheers stashed in my car because they tend to melt. With the BE Lip Guards you don't have this problem because they don't come in the "Push-Pop" like tube. Just something to keep in mind if you're anything like me.