Suede Splash Lipstick vs Explicit Lipstick: which is safer?
Burt's Bees Suede Splash Lipstick is the clear pick. NARS Explicit Lipstick carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Our pick
Burt's Bees
Suede Splash Lipstick
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFragrance allergens (essential oils, fragrance compounds)
PossibleOil rancidity and skin irritation over time
NARS
Explicit Lipstick
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleHeavy metals in pigments (iron oxides, mica, synthetic colorants)
ReportedFragrance allergens and undisclosed fragrance compounds
PossibleFormaldehyde releasers in preservative systems
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Fragrance allergens (essential oils, fragrance compounds) and Oil rancidity and skin irritation over time on the Burt's Bees and not on the NARS.
- We flag Heavy metals in pigments (iron oxides, mica, synthetic colorants), Fragrance allergens and undisclosed fragrance compounds, Formaldehyde releasers in preservative systems and Coating degradation and microplastic shedding on the NARS and not on the Burt's Bees.
- The Burt's Bees is Wax, oils, pigments, beeswax base where the NARS is Wax, oils, pigments; waterproof coating 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 NARS grade, at 35% confidence against 78%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers 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 →
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