LFL Heavy Metal Purity Standard | Effect Pigment Impurity Limits

Abstract

Purpose

Effect pigment powders — mineral and metallic materials such as mica, iron oxide, and aluminum paste — can carry trace heavy metal impurities from their source ore. Regulatory bodies set maximum impurity thresholds for finished cosmetics; raw material suppliers vary widely in how far below those thresholds they test and control.

The LFL Heavy Metal Purity Standard publishes the batch-tested impurity limits LuxeFormula Labs holds its effect pigment powder line to, and shows how those limits compare to FDA and China national cosmetic regulatory limits.

Limits

Eight tracked elements

Element	Symbol	LFL Limit
Lead	Pb	<10 ppm
Arsenic	As	<1.5 ppm
Mercury	Hg	<0.5 ppm
Cadmium	Cd	<0.5 ppm
Antimony	Sb	<2 ppm
Chromium	Cr	<10 ppm
Nickel	Ni	<10 ppm
Cobalt	Co	<5 ppm

Regulatory Comparison

How this compares

Element	LFL Limit	US FDA	China National Standard
Lead (Pb)	<10 ppm	≤10 ppm (lip/eye), ≤20 ppm (color additives)	≤10 ppm
Arsenic (As)	<1.5 ppm	≤3 ppm (color additives)	≤2 ppm
Mercury (Hg)	<0.5 ppm	≤1 ppm (trace)	≤1 ppm

LFL's limits meet or exceed both US FDA guidance and China's national cosmetic standards on lead, arsenic, and mercury. Note that some individual national authorities — for example Germany's BVL — publish stricter general-use guidance on select elements (e.g. lead, arsenic, cadmium); LFL's limits should be described as exceeding FDA and China national standards specifically, not as the strictest published limit worldwide.

Documentation

Certificate of Analysis

Every production batch is tested against this standard, with results provided on a Certificate of Analysis available on request. Contact [email protected] or see the Effect Pigment Powder collection to order.

Citation

How to cite this standard

SUGGESTED CITATION

LuxeFormula Labs. (2026). LFL Heavy Metal Purity Standard,
Version 1.0. https://luxeformulalabs.com/standards/heavy-metal-purity/