According to an October 27, 2009 press release, the safety of face paints for Halloween now has the attention of the Food and Dug Administration (FDA). According to “Campaign for Safe Cosmetics”, 10 out of 10 children’s face paints the organization tested contained lead.
“Campaign for Safe Cosmetics” had 10 commonly accessible face paints tested in independent labs. Brands included Alex, Ben Nye, Don Post, Rubie’s, Snazaroo, Mehron, Wolfe Bros, and Jovi. A full 36-page report is available online.
“Unfortunately we found lead in all 10 of the products we sent to the lab and six of them contained heavy metals that are allergens and that included nickel, chromium and cobalt,” said Mia Davis of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
They also discovered 6 out of 10 children’s face paints contained nickel, cobalt and/or chromium, which are top allergens in children. The metals were reported at amounts ranging from 1.6 to 120 ppm, a large number of them far exceeding industry safety recommendations of 1 ppm.
The findings, issued by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, is titled: Pretty Scary: Could Halloween Face Paint Cause Lifelong Health Problems? The research team tested 10 face paint products, a commonly used variety available via the Internet or in craft or Halloween stores.
The ingredients were not listed on Halloween face paints because they are not primary ingredients and the FDA does not ask the manufactures to label “contaminants.” That does not mean they could not cause damage, or that parents would not prefer to know about them prior to picking out costume makeup for use on their children’s face.
ewww!