The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has been warning women that many name brand lipsticks contain potentially dangerous levels of lead.

The issue apparently has to do with the additives used specifically for the color red. The nonprofit coalition said one third of the 33 red lipsticks examined by an independent lab contained a level of lead exceeding the Food and Drug Administration’s limit for lead in candy.

The cosmetic industry says it’s not a fair comparison because lipstick is not intended to be ingested, but the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice says that the cumulative exposure by reapplying lipstick several times a day can be significant.

The FDA has not published tolerance levels for contaminants or impurities, such as lead, in cosmetics, and says that cosmetics must be safe when used as directed.

The lipsticks that were tested were purchased in Boston, Hartford, San Francisco and Minneapolis. None listed lead as an ingredient, but the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says that in light of the news about other products imported from China that contain lead, women should be aware that popular brands including Maybelline, L’Oreal, Cover Girl and Christian Dior tested lead-positive in their study.