⚠️This fact has been debunked
This is a widely circulated myth debunked by Snopes and multiple fact-checkers. While women do ingest small amounts of lipstick (UC Berkeley estimates ~24mg daily if applied twice per day, roughly 1/16 pound per year), they don't digest 'most' of what they apply. The majority ends up on cups, napkins, tissues, partners, or is washed off. The viral '4-9 pounds in a lifetime' claim first appeared in Glamour Magazine (2002) without scientific backing and requires impossibly assuming 100% ingestion with zero transfer.
Women end up digesting most of the lipstick they apply.
Do Women Really Eat Pounds of Lipstick?
You've probably heard it before: women eat 4, 7, or even 9 pounds of lipstick over their lifetimes. Some versions claim women "digest most of the lipstick they apply." It's a juicy factoid that's been recycled in beauty blogs, TikToks, and casual conversation for decades. There's just one problem: it's completely false.
The myth first appeared in Glamour Magazine in June 2002, where an unnamed writer tossed out the claim without citing any study or data. From there, it spread like wildfire, mutating into various forms—4 pounds, 7 pounds, 9 pounds—depending on who was telling the story.
The Math Doesn't Add Up
Let's say you're a daily lipstick wearer who applies it twice a day. According to a UC Berkeley study, that means you're ingesting about 24 milligrams of lipstick per day through eating, drinking, and unconscious lip-licking. Over a year, that's roughly 1/16 of a pound.
Even over 70 years of lipstick use, that's only about 4-5 pounds total. But here's the catch: this assumes perfect conditions where you apply lipstick every single day for seven decades starting at age 15. Most women don't wear lipstick daily, take breaks, or go makeup-free for periods of their lives.
Where Does the Lipstick Actually Go?
The bigger issue with the myth is the word "most." If women digested most of the lipstick they applied, that would mean the majority of each application ended up in their stomachs. Anyone who's ever worn lipstick knows that's absurd.
Lipstick actually ends up:
- On coffee cups, wine glasses, and water bottles
- Blotted off on tissues or napkins
- Transferred to partners during kissing
- Rubbed off on shirt collars, sleeves, or phone screens
- Washed off before bed or during face cleansing
- Faded throughout the day from talking and natural lip movement
When you account for all these transfers, the amount actually ingested is minimal—maybe 10-20% of what's applied, if that.
Why the Myth Persists
So why does this factoid refuse to die? Partly because it's the kind of shocking-but-harmless claim that feels shareable. It doesn't insult anyone, it sounds sciencey enough to be credible, and it plays into anxieties about beauty products and what we unknowingly consume.
Beauty brands have even used it in marketing, positioning their "natural" or "edible" lipsticks as solutions to a problem that doesn't really exist at the scale they claim.
The Real Concern
While you're not eating pounds of lipstick, there is a legitimate conversation about what's in the lipstick you do ingest. Studies have found trace amounts of lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals in some lipsticks. The FDA maintains these levels are generally safe, but it's worth being mindful of product ingredients, especially if you reapply frequently.
Bottom line: You're not digesting most of your lipstick. You're leaving it on everything but your lips.