Lipstick Iced Iris vs Lipstick MAC Retro Matte: which is safer?
Lipstick MAC Retro Matte is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Burt's Bees
Lipstick Iced Iris
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFragrance allergens and essential oils
PossibleFormaldehyde releasers and preservatives
PossibleRancidity and microbial growth in wax-oil base
Our pick
MAC
Lipstick MAC Retro Matte
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFragrance allergens and sensitization
PossibleCoating degradation and ingredient migration over time
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Fragrance allergens and essential oils, Formaldehyde releasers and preservatives and Rancidity and microbial growth in wax-oil base on the Burt's Bees and not on the MAC.
- We flag Fragrance allergens and sensitization and Coating degradation and ingredient migration over time on the MAC and not on the Burt's Bees.
- The Burt's Bees is wax, oils, pigments (standard lip color base) where the MAC is wax, oils, pigments, emollients, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More lip balm & long-wear lipstick: see the full ranking