Lipstick and cosmetics

In detail

Lipstick is a pigment carried in a base of waxes and oils, and that base decides the treatment. The carpet trade's sequence is solvent-first — a non-flammable spot removal solution or dry-cleaning type solvent — followed by a weak detergent solution and, if the colour persists, a vinegar solution. Detergent alone leaves a shadow because a surfactant emulsifies the oily carrier and does nothing about a pigment that has already transferred to the fibre. The solvent branch brings the constraint that always travels with it: never pour solvent onto the carpet or let it reach the backing, because it damages the latex bonding the primary and secondary backings together. Solvent goes on the cloth. The standing procedure applies throughout — pretest in a hidden area, work from the edges of the mark inwards, do not rub, and keep using an agent while colour is still transferring to the cloth. The same shape covers most cosmetics, because most of them are built the same way: pigment, wax and oil, in proportions that change the colour rather than the chemistry.