Woman's bizarre allergic reaction to lipstick

Her new lipstick was intended for her husband's birthday party, not a trip to the ER. Photo / Facebook, Lily Cleopatra Maurice

Lipstick brands promise all sorts of things: From shiny, soft, kissable lips, to colours for every occasion that won't rub off or stain.

So the last thing a Florida woman expected from her new lipstick was a massive allergic reaction that meant she had to be rushed to hospital.

According to Lily Cleopatra Maurice, who bought the new shade to wear on her husband's birthday, she "woke up choking with huge swollen lips. I had to be rushed to the ER! Could've died in my sleep," she wrote in a Facebook post that has been shared 60,000 times.

The lipstick, from Covergirl's Queen Collection, was reviewed by cosmetic chemist Randy Schueller.

Speaking to Refinery 29 he advised he couldn't see any ingredients which stood out as being "problematic". He concluded Maurice's reaction could have been to the fragrance in the product.

"CoverGirl is a major brand and I'm sure they vet all their raw materials appropriately," he said.

A dermatologist also reviewed the claim and told Refinery 29 the symptoms were likely due to a condition known as angioedema.

"It's accompanied by severe lower-lip swelling and often by difficulty breathing and swallowing," Dr Jeannette Graf said. While the causes for the condition vary, lipstick is among them.

Covergirl has reached out to Maurice: "As soon as we learned of this woman's experience, which would certainly not be expected from lipstick use, we reached out to her to learn more about what happened and see how we could help," said Laura Brinker of COVERGIRL Communications.

Brinker said extensive testing is carried out on all of their products to ensure their safety.

- nzherald.co.nz