Background on Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s Community Collaborative Laboratory Testing Initiative

The Lead Safe Mama, LLC (LSM) team has been conducting independent, community-funded, scientific testing of consumer goods since 2009. Prior to 2024 our work primarily focused on testing consumer goods (including dishes, toys, household items, furniture, jewelry, etc.) using XRF technology.

In March of 2024, LSM began coordinating independent, third-party, community-collaborative laboratory testing of foods, supplements, cosmetics, and personal-care items. Since then we have sent more than 400 community-nominated products to laboratories, testing for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic. You can find all of our published lab reports for products we have tested through this initiative to date on this link — sunscreen products are just a small subset of the products we have tested.

How are products chosen for testing?
How is this third-party, independent testing and reporting paid for?

This laboratory testing initiative is driven by the interests and priorities of the greater Lead Safe Mama community (we had nearly 2.3 million unique individual readers here on this website in the 2024 calendar year alone and also have a strong social media presence — with over 100,000 followers each on both Instagram and Facebook).

Lead Safe Mama online community members nominate products for laboratory testing and then the LSM community uses crowd-funding (including through GoFundMe) to raise the money needed and cover the costs related to testing and reporting for these nominated products. This is how the products listed in the chart below were chosen for testing, and how the testing and reporting was paid for.

This unique model of community-directed (and community-funded) testing and reporting helps ensure that this initiative is truly free of corporate influence, and instead strongly rooted in science (without bias).

Pending Sunscreen Campaigns

In addition to the lab test results for the six sunscreen products we have already gotten back from the lab to date (scroll down to see the chart with those test results, and for links to the lab reports and articles related to those six products), through the LSM laboratory testing initiative (in our search for a safer sunscreen product) the nineteen sunscreen products listed below have also been nominated for testing.

Each line item below is a link to a campaign on GoFundMe for which we have not yet raised all the funds to cover the costs of testing and reporting (if you would like to help us get any one of these products off to the lab, please click the link and make a contribution in support of helping to cover the costs for laboratory testing and reporting for the product you are curious about). Here also is the link to our budget (how we spend the funs raised through each of these campaigns).

Raw, Direct-to-Consumer Data that’s Never Behind a Paywall

Another unique aspect of Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s work is that all of our findings (including the raw data/ original lab reports) are always shared publicly (here on the Lead Safe Mama website and our social media), free of charge, and not behind a paywall of any kind. While contributions in support of our work are always welcome, they are not required.

The intention behind the Lead Safe Mama, LLC laboratory testing initiative is twofold:

To identify lab-tested safer products, helping consumers make science-informed choices regarding the products they use with their families, and
To identify products with egregious levels of toxicants that we can then (collectively) report to public agencies (including the FDA) in an effort to get those products recalled.

A foundation of LSM’s work is the understanding (and agreement with scientific and medical consensus) that there is no safe level of Lead exposure for humans, and that we (as consumers) should demand companies be held accountable for manufacturing and selling Lead-contaminated product — especially products marketed and sold for use by children (or products marketed for general use that will likely be used or consumed by children).

Chart Published: June 08, 2025

The chart below (comparing the toxicant profiles of laboratory-tested popular sunscreen products) is a work-in-progress.
We have not yet found a toxicant-free sunscreen product with this initiative, and expect we may not find one – but continuing looking / testing more products in this category at the request and direction of the greater Lead Safe Mama community.
Some articles and lab reports are pending/ will be published shortly and those are noted in the list below the chart with “**”
Please check back periodically for the latest updates.
- We first share our newly published articles on our Patreon.
- Then, we share published articles with our email newsletter subscribers (which is free!).
- Finally, we share published articles on our social media channels (including Facebook and Instagram).
- You can subscribe to our Patreon free-of-charge or with a small monthly gift in support of this work if you choose.
- Lead Safe Mama, LLC is not a 501(c)3 nonprofit, so contributions are not tax-deductible.
You can click the chart image below for a downloadable PDF copy.
Links to articles with full original lab reports for each of the products tested (and shown in this chart) can be found in the numbered list below the chart, please scroll down.
Continue reading below the chart for additional information (including the full list of lab-tested safer products identified to date through this initiative) — thank you!

This is an ad-free article.

Advertising and affiliate income help Lead Safe Mama, LLC cover the costs of the work we do here (independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead poisoning prevention advocacy). We have removed ads from most of our more widely-read articles (like this one!) to make them easier for you to read. In addition to supporting this work by starting any shopping you might be doing with a click on our affiliate links, if you would like to support the independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead poisoning prevention advocacy work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC by making a contribution (which will also help us keep our more widely-read articles ad-free), click here. Thank you!

NEW! You can also support our work with a small monthly gift on Patreon. All our newly published lab reports are first shared on Patreon before we share them on social media.

For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).

Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a unique community collaborative woman-owned small business for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
Since July 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for seven product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
Please check out our press page to see some of the news coverage of our work, linked here.

The chart above compares the toxicant profiles of popular sunscreen products that we have tested through the community collaborative (community directed and funded), independent, third-party laboratory testing Lead Safe Mama, LLC is coordinating.

The direct links to each of the articles we have published for the product listed in the above chart:

Babo Botanicals Sensitive Baby Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 50 (Blue Tube)**
Babo Botanicals Sheer Mineral Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50**
Badger Adventure Mineral Sunscreen Cream, SPF 50
Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen — Sensitive, SPF 50
Cancer Council Sensitive Sunscreen, SPF 50
Coppertone Pure & Simple Baby Sunscreen, SPF 50
Pipette Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 50**
Sky & Sol Face and Body Sunscreen, SPF 50
ThinkBaby Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 50

Please check out our open/ not-yet-funded campaigns on GoFundMe if you would like to support some of our additional independent, crowd-funded, third-party laboratory testing. Thank you!

This link has all of our not-yet-funded testing campaigns.

Are you interested in seeing MORE safer choices?

Below is an expanding list of products (foods, supplements, cosmetics, and personal care items) that tested “non-detect” for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic with independent, third-party, community-funded laboratory testing coordinated by Lead Safe Mama, LLC (an Oregon-based small business with a unique community-collaborative business model and a focus on consumer goods safety and childhood Lead poisoning prevention). The product examples below clearly demonstrate that companies can manufacture safer choices (at least from the perspective of a concern for heavy metals contamination).
–
The limits of detection (low-threshold of detection) for each of the metals tested are noted in the lab report for the specific product listed. To see the full original lab report for any of these products, type the brand name into the search bar at the top of any page on Lead Safe Mama dot com (and scroll down to the bottom of the related article). All our published lab reports are also linked here, on our lab testing landing page.
–
Flavors (or specific variations) tested are noted, and other flavors of the same product (or other products from the same brand) have either not been tested or have been tested but did not yield similar results. Test results only apply to the specific products linked below.

Products on our “safer choices” list are retested periodically (annually or more frequently, as funding permits). If a product no longer tests clean, it is removed from the list.

LIST UPDATED — June 4, 2025
Now at 68 products + 6 “bonus” options. Scroll down to see all 74 Lab-tested Safer Choices:

Baby Food — 1 — Little Spoon Kale, Carrot + Pear BabyBlends
Baby Food — 2 —Little Spoon Butternut Squash + Blueberry BabyBlends
Baby Food — 3 — Little Spoon Sweet Potato BabyBlends
Baby Food — 4 — Little Spoon Sweet Potato + Carrot BabyBlends
Baby Food — 5 — Little Spoon Banana + Pitaya BabyBlends
Beverage — 1 — Honest Kids Organic Appley Ever After Apple Juice Drink: https://amzn.to/4fjGhov
Beverage — 2 — Olipop Grape Tonic: https://amzn.to/4cjFYZu
Breakfast Cereal — 1 — Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Panda Puffs: https://amzn.to/4fo1crf
Breakfast Cereal — 2 — Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Corn Puffs Gorilla Munch: https://amzn.to/3FHZCDO
Candy — 1 — Cavendish & Harvey Wild Berry Drops, not organic (Germany): https://amzn.to/3Z1Jxjr
NEW! Candy — 2 — Haribo Gummy Bears** (Made in Germany, Not USA Produced): https://amzn.to/3FCGVlu
Candy — 3 — Lindt White Chocolate Bar (Made in USA, New Hampshire): https://amzn.to/3OXkyIm
Coffee & Tea — 1 — Chameleon Handcrafted Organic Cold Brew Concentrate: https://amzn.to/3OcrH77
Coffee & Tea — 2 —Tao of Tea Organic Genmaicha (Tamara’s favorite, from Japan, sold by a Portland, Oregon-based company!): https://amzn.to/3Dp8Fsd
Coffee & Tea — 3 — Califia Farms Almond Latte Cold Brew (XX Espresso): https://amzn.to/4gTTGoJ
Coffee & Tea — 4 — Death Wish Organic Espresso Roast Ground Coffee (Multi-country origin, non-USA): https://amzn.to/3yo1eiL
Cosmetic— 1 — Babo Botanicals Sensitive Baby Lotion: https://amzn.to/3YmKxy1
Cosmetic — 2 — Kora Organics Noni Face Oil: https://amzn.to/43hy2XO
Dairy — 1 — (cheese) — Babybel Mini Original Snack Cheese: https://amzn.to/3ZY5noO
Dairy — 2 — (coffee creamer) — Organic Valley Grassmilk Half and Half: https://amzn.to/4fHJIWT
Fruit Snack — 1 — (bar) — Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars in Raspberry Lemonade Flavor: https://amzn.to/3XcFsIp
Fruit Snack — 2 — (bar) —Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars in Strawberry Banana Flavor: https://amzn.to/3WQEekA
Fruit Snack — 3 — (pouch) — Costco’s Kirkland Organic Apple Sauce Pouch: https://amzn.to/4gOYpZ9
Fruit Snack — 4 — (pouch) — GoGo Squeez Organic Apple Sauce Pouch: https://amzn.to/3XhWYLe
Fruit Snack — 5 — (pouch) — Once Upon A Farm Dairy Free Fruit Smoothie Pouch in Strawberry Banana Swirl Flavor: https://amzn.to/3CPMbAw
Infant Formula — 1 — Bobbie Organic Gentle Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron (pink and white can): https://amzn.to/3YYb849
Infant Formula — 2 — Bobbie Organic Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron (green and white can): https://amzn.to/3VOr4Vy
Infant Formula — 3 — Bobbie Grass-Fed Milk-Based Powder with Iron (green can): https://amzn.to/3ZlAaeJ
Infant Formula — 4 — ByHeart Infant Formula (USA-made, not organic): https://amzn.to/48DJjTb
Infant Formula — 5 — HiPP Bio Combiotik Infant Formula Powder, Stage 1 (imported)
Infant Formula — 6 — HiPP HA Stage PRE (0+ Months) Combiotic Formula (imported)
Infant Formula — 7 — Holle Bio Goat Stage 2 Infant Formula (for 6-10 months, organic, European — Swiss/ German/ Austrian) is not available on Amazon, but the Stage 3 version of this product is (not yet tested, but will likely test similarly): https://amzn.to/3BVU7zI
Infant Formula — 8 — Kendamil Goat Infant Formula (not organic): This product may be available at Target (it is not available on Amazon)
Infant Formula — 9 — Kendamil Organic Follow-On Milk (European/ British Toddler Formula, for 6-12 months, Cow Milk): Not available on Amazon
Infant Formula — 10 — Kendamil Whole Milk Infant Formula (from Europe, pink can, not organic), available at Target
Infant Formula — 11 — Kendamil Organic Infant Formula (Cow Milk): Not available on Amazon but may be available at Target
Ingredient — 1 — (baking flour) — Jovial Organic Einkorn Flour (Italy): https://amzn.to/3LIqxix
Ingredient — 2 — (beans) — Jovial Organic Chickpeas, Product of Italy: https://amzn.to/4iRON1l
Ingredient — 3 — (vinegar) — Napa Valley Naturals Organic Red Wine Vinegar (California): https://amzn.to/4jWhHOg
Oil — 1 — (avocado) — Chosen Foods 100% Avocado Oil (not organic): https://amzn.to/3YDZSuv
Oil — 2 — (coconut) — Dr. Bronner’s Regenerative Organic Coconut Oil: https://amzn.to/40xwBmv
NEW! Oil — 3 — (olive) — Bryan Johnson BluePrint Snake Oil Olive Oil** (not organic): https://amzn.to/4mMieUj
Oil — 4 — (perilla seed) — Dr. Adorable’s Organic Perilla Seed Oil (Korea): https://amzn.to/3NDt7Yc
Plant-Based Milk — 1 — (coffee creamer) — Laird Superfood Coconut Creamer: https://amzn.to/4fItA7A
Plant-Based Milk — 2 — (plant milk) — Kiki Milk Organic Plant-Based Milk (original flavor): https://amzn.to/3AA6Qrt
Plant-Based Milk — 3 — (soy milk) — West Soy Unflavored Unsweetened Organic Soy Milk: https://amzn.to/4dwev8l
Salt — 1 — Jacobsen’s Sea Salt (Oregon, USA): https://amzn.to/4dcbk5L
NEW! Salt — 2 —Maldon Sea Salt Flakes**: https://amzn.to/4iTzWTE
NEW! Salt — 3 — Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt** : https://amzn.to/4cVQMiy
Seeds — 1 — (chia) —Navitas Organic, Gluten-Free Chia Seeds (Mexico): https://amzn.to/3YvE7xC
Seeds — 2 — (hemp) — Costco Kirkland Organic Hemp Seeds: https://amzn.to/4e05RP9
Supplement — 1 — (adult) — Doctor’s Best Vitamin C with Q-C: https://amzn.to/4hlVvea
Supplement — 2 — (adult) —Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Fish Oil: https://amzn.to/48q1j2V
Supplement — 3 — (adult) — Pectasol Modified Citrus Pectin, Formulated in the USA: https://amzn.to/3QUmZfN
Supplement — 4 — (adult) — Pendulum Metabolic Daily Dietary Supplement: https://amzn.to/4gY5wOm
Supplement — 5 — (kids) —Baby Ddrops, Organic Vitamin D3 Supplement for Babies: https://amzn.to/49C3ktH
Supplement — 6 — (kids) — Mary Ruth’s Organic Toddler Multivitamin Liquid Drops with Iron: https://amzn.to/3YPhcgx
Supplement — 7 — (kids) —Mary Ruth’s Organic Toddler Elderberry Liquid Drops: https://amzn.to/42617TU
Supplement — 8 — (kids) — Nordic Naturals Kids Vitamin D3 Gummies (Ages 3+): https://amzn.to/4l7117a
Sweetener — 1 — (sugar) — Anthony’s Organic Granulated Cane Sugar: https://amzn.to/4jf6vLv
Sweetener — 2— (xylitol) — Espure Organic Xylitol: https://amzn.to/3GsCSrU
Sweetener — 3— (xylitol) —Now Real Food Granulated Xylitol: https://amzn.to/4cNWDpM
Toothpaste — 1 — Fluoride-free Orajel Kids Training Toothpaste in Natural Berry Fruity Flavor with Elmo Sesame Street Packaging: https://amzn.to/41wxtrY
Toothpaste — 2 — Fluoride-free Miessence Mint Toothpaste: https://amzn.to/4bJc4PO
Toothpaste — 3 — Dr. Brown’s Fluoride-free Baby Toothpaste in Strawberry Flavor: https://amzn.to/3DCehzZ
Toothpaste — 4 — Pegciz Kids Foam Toothpaste in Watermelon Flavor, Low Flouride (packaging varies, see report): https://amzn.to/3YzP68e
Toothpaste — 5 — Kid’s Spry Fluoride-free Tooth Gel with Xylitol in Original Flavor: https://amzn.to/41GZb4e
Toothpaste — 6 — Fluoride-free Essential Oxygen BR Certified Organic in Peppermint Flavor: https://amzn.to/4lARZ2J

**Lab reports pending/ Not yet published as of 6/4/2025

Here’s a link to our landing page featuring all the third-party lab reports for the foods, supplements, and cosmetic products we have published to date, including those listed above: https://tamararubin.com/2024/05/food-articles/

Stand by for more!

BONUS: Below are SIX additional products that each tested positive for trace (very low levels of) Arsenic — at levels considered safe by all standards (with the limits of detection noted in the lab report for the specific product listed).

Infant Formula — Kendamil Goat Toddler Milk, not organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): May be available at Target or through other online retailers of European infant formulas
Ingredient — Maseca Instant Corn Masa Flour, Product of Mexico (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/4iR8qWN
Fruit Snack — That’s It Apple Cherry Bars, not organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/4fHkSWV
Oil — Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado oil, organic (postive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/3BVQYQa
Supplement — (adult) — Now Sunflower Lecithin, not organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/3AFdHzO
Supplement — (adult) — WishGarden Immune Boost Seasonal Rescue for Pregnancy: https://amzn.to/3Cd940N

Amazon links are affiliate links.

Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on a Lead Safe Mama, LLC Amazon affiliate link, Lead Safe Mama, LLC may receive a percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you.

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