In a chapter in this year’s World Happiness Report on effective giving, the Happier Lives Institute (HLI) ranks Pure Earth as the most cost-effective charity for improving the wellbeing of others. This is the first global review of published evidence on the cost effectiveness of interventions in terms of happiness per dollar. It finds that Pure Earth, followed by Taimaka, Icddr,b, and Friendship Bench, is “hundreds of times better at increasing happiness per dollar than other charities.”
In their analysis of Pure Earth’s program to reduce lead exposure from cosmetics in Ghana, HLI projected that this is likely to be the most cost-effective intervention they have evaluated to date, concluding that “until better data emerges, Pure Earth presents a potential ‘high risk, high return’ opportunity for philanthropic funding.”
“Pure Earth is honored to be featured in this year’s World Happiness Report and to be recognized by the Happier Lives Institute for our impact,” says Drew McCartor, President of Pure Earth. “Our teams around the world work tirelessly to prevent lead poisoning and unlock brighter futures in the communities we serve, and we are grateful to everyone who recognizes and supports that work.”
How Pure Earth Was Evaluated
Happier Lives Institute is a non-profit dedicated to evaluating and recommending charities for effective giving. They are the first and only charity evaluator to recommend charities based on how much happiness they create. Happier Lives Institute uses wellbeing-years (WELLBYs), which is a measure of how much an intervention improves someone’s wellbeing. 1 WELLBY = A 1-point increase on a 0-10 self-reported wellbeing scale for one person for one year. According to Happier Lives Institute, Pure Earth’s cost per WELLBY is just $9. This means that for every $1,000 donated, Pure Earth creates 108 WELLBYs.
“Our findings are a wake-up call for donors, charities, researchers and policy-makers,” says Dr. Michael Plant, Founder & Research Director at the Happier Lives Institute and also a Research Fellow at the Wellbeing Research, Oxford University, which publishes the World Happiness Report. “By shifting the focus from traditional impact measures to happiness and wellbeing, we can help donors ensure their money creates the most positive change possible.”
To calculate Pure Earth’s cost effectiveness, Happier Lives Institute evaluated Pure Earth’s proposed program to reduce lead exposure from cosmetics in Ghana. “Chilo” is the word for eyeliner in Northern Ghana and is often applied to both girls and boys at a very young age. Pure Earth’s Rapid Market Screening research found that eyeliner can contain very high levels of lead. Lab results from two samples showed lead concentrations of 290,000 and 320,000 (equivalent to 29 and 32% lead, respectively).
Background on the Problem
Between 2020 and 2023, Pure Earth, UNICEF, the Ghana Health Service, and Ghana EPA collaborated on a large-scale blood lead level survey (3227 participants over 3 regions). Northern Ghana had the highest prevalence of lead poisoning. Notably, Chilo was identified through follow-up home-based assessments as a potentially important contributor to exposure. In Northern Ghana, lead-contaminated Chilo use was correlated with elevated blood lead levels.
“The findings of our assessments are highly concerning, especially given that Chilo is traditionally applied to infants and young children, who are particularly vulnerable to the harms of lead poisoning,” says Esmond Quansah, Pure Earth Ghana Country Director. “Children have a proclivity for hand-to-mouth behavior, causing them to potentially ingest the lead-contaminated eyeliner if they rub their eyes or face. We need to work with the EPA and other government agencies to conduct public health education around this exposure source.”
Our Solution
Our project, Ending Lead-Contaminated Cosmetics in Ghana for Healthier Futures, will both reduce the supply of leaded cosmetics in the marketplace and reduce demand for lead-contaminated cosmetics by consumers, as well as boost government capacity to enforce regulations. We will work with government agencies and local partners in Ghana to assess supply chains, safe product alternatives, and existing regulations; support the adoption and advancement of appropriate standards; work with industry actors by providing data and facilitating technical solutions; train officials in lead level assessments enabling monitoring and enforcement; and educate the public on the dangers of lead exposure from contaminated Chilo.
Project Phases:
Supply Chain Intervention:
-Conduct an initial supply-chain analysis of Chilo eyeliner and other cosmetics to identify how contaminated products enter the country and spread, starting with the main distributors of the most popular brands that have been identified with high lead levels as well as some manufacturers as feasible based upon location.
-Organize workshops for economic actors in cosmetics in Ghana to inform them about the dangers of lead.
-Convince industry actors by providing data on eyeliner contamination, educating them on the health threat; propose solutions and safe alternatives, and provide technical assistance for safe product development..
Regulatory Efforts:
-Work with Ghana Standards Authority to examine existing regulations on the books for lead in consumer products and whether they need to be updated and/or enforced.
-Build government capacity to enforce existing consumer safety regulations pertaining to contaminated cosmetics.
-Build the government’s enforcement capacity to assess markets and supply chains while acquiring and maintaining necessary equipment, including XRF (X-ray fluorescence) analyzers to measure lead concentration levels.
Consumer Awareness Raising:
-Conduct community awareness activities related to contaminated consumer products including cosmetics and cookware.
-Identify which specific brands of eyeliner are lead-free, their price point and availability in the Northern Region of Ghana. The cosmetics market survey that we will conduct with funding from Open Philanthropy will gather this type of information.
Funding Needs
Pure Earth is currently conducting an initial supply chain analysis and assessment of the regulatory landscape for cosmetics in Ghana, supported by Open Philanthropy, but funding to implement interventions is still needed.
“Ending Lead-Contaminated Cosmetics in Ghana for Healthier Futures builds off our experience removing lead from other consumer products like spices. Not only are these interventions cost-effective, they can be implemented within a relatively short time frame,” says Carol Sumkin, Pure Earth V.P. of Development. “Based on our Rapid Market Screening, we also know that lead contaminated eyeliner is a common threat in many regions of the world. The experience acquired from this program in Ghana can be replicated and scaled up across several countries.”
Your donation can help Pure Earth prevent lead poisoning in Ghana from contaminated cosmetics. Thanks to the generous support of Joshua Rosen and Jessica Bell, all donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 through May 1st, doubling your impact.
Read the World Happiness Report chapter to learn more: https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2025/giving-to-others-how-to-convert-your-money-into-greater-happiness-for-others/
Learn more about what your support will fund in Ghana: https://www.pureearth.org/take-action/support-our-project-to-end-lead-contaminated-cosmetics-in-ghana
