Can I colour soap with lipstick??

[MGM]

A friend gave me some lipstick samples. I can't wear lipstick. Could I colour soap with it??
I have used crushed up eyeshadow: the yellow was great; the purple went dark brown (not in a bad way), which wasn't unexpected.

 

[MGM]

No? Nobody even has an opinion on this, let alone experience?? Fine! I'll just do it! (But I'll be sure to wear eye protection....)

 

[earlene]

No, I have not tried it. Since I don't wear lipstick, it has never occured to me, I guess. Zany has posted about using certain crayons (not all can be used apparently.)

Opinion: Lip safe colorants (in lipstick) would certainly be skin safe, so I don't think you'd have any worries regarding skin safety.

What else is in lipstick and how much of it is saponifiable vs unsaponifiable? I have no idea, but I think a little research might be in order to determine how it may affect your SF for your soap.

Wikipedia talks about some common ingredients in lipstick as well as history and some of it by country.

Lipstick contains wax, oils, antioxidants, and emollients.[31] Wax provides the structure to the solid lipstick. Lipsticks may be made from several waxes such as beeswax, ozokerite and candelilla wax. Because of its high melting point, carnauba wax is a key ingredient in terms of strengthening the lipstick. Various oils and fats are used in lipsticks, such as olive oil, mineral oil, cocoa butter, lanolin, and petrolatum.

So there would be quite a bit of unsaponifiables in the waxes and other ingredients. So if it were me, I'd use a low SF to start with, but I already do, so I'd lower it even more.

Here is a website that lists details about 2,047 lipsticks by brand, product name & color, including ingredients, colorants used and hazard ratings: link

 

[lrpolillo]

I dont think using lipstick would be ideal.

 

[bexnelson]

So I just tried this. I do not recommend it. 1. I used lipstick colours. Not lipsticks. And here is what I've found. 1. They might not blend too well. 2. They WILL stain everything! Lipstick colours are created to stain the skin. So that is what will happen when it is in soap too, as per my understanding. Stick to micas and natural clays etc. I personally do not recommend lipstick colours.

 

[akseattle]

@MGM in April, I asked if anyone had ever tried to use tempera powder to color melt & pour soap. Zany referred me to a thread from a while back that talked about coloring soap with crayons. It was a pretty interesting thread. The consensus was that you could use crayons but that the color might fade sooner than other colorants, like mica. Since crayons are just made out of wax and pigment, I started wondering why you couldn't use other make up, like eye shadow. And, as it turns out, some soapers had done that- successfully. I was curious about lipstick because I have alot of lipstick that I will never use- the colors looked great in the store but they are too pink for my skin tone (or my style.) I read a bunch of stuff on the internet and learned that lipstick is made mainly from wax, oils, and pigment. So, that seems compatible enough with soap. I've left lipstick in my car on a hot day and it has gotten so soft that it has broken next time I tried to use it. So, I thought lipstick could melt okay into soap. Looks like bexnelson tried coloring with lipstick and it didn't blend very well. I suspect some lipsticks might blend better than others. But, apparently, lipstick is not water soluble - on purpose. As bexnelson pointed out, lipstick is created to stain so that it will last on your lips. I still intend to one day try crushing up old eye shadow. But, the stain factor is probably the real disqualifyer to experimenting with lipstick. Too bad cuz I have a bunch!