Lipstick Iced Iris vs Liquid Lipstick: which is safer?

Burt's Bees Lipstick Iced Iris is the clear pick. Sigma Beauty Liquid Lipstick carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Our pick

Burt's Bees Lipstick Iced Iris

Burt's Bees

Lipstick Iced Iris

PFAS grade

Excellent 75/100

Overall grade

Good 63/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

wax, oils, pigments (standard lip color base)

Confidence

78%

PossibleFragrance allergens and essential oils

PossibleFormaldehyde releasers and preservatives

PossibleRancidity and microbial growth in wax-oil base

Sigma Beauty Liquid Lipstick

Sigma Beauty

Liquid Lipstick

PFAS grade

Poor 30/100

Overall grade

Bad 4/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 5

Material

liquid pigment blend, waterproofing agents unspecified

Confidence

45%

PossibleHeavy metals in pigments (lead, cadmium, chromium)

PossibleFormaldehyde releasers in preservative systems

PossibleFragrance allergens and undisclosed components

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 Sigma Beauty.
  • We flag Heavy metals in pigments (lead, cadmium, chromium), Formaldehyde releasers in preservative systems, Fragrance allergens and undisclosed components and 1,4-dioxane contamination (from ethoxylated emulsifiers) on the Sigma Beauty and not on the Burt's Bees.
  • The Burt's Bees is wax, oils, pigments (standard lip color base) where the Sigma Beauty is liquid pigment blend, waterproofing agents unspecified, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Burt's Bees is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Sigma Beauty grade, at 45% confidence against 78%, because it discloses less.

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