Halloween, scarier than ever: Face paints found to contain dangerous heavy metals

October 28, 9:11 PMAtlanta Environmental Health ExaminerJudy Murkerson

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Atlanta Environmental Health Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Photo: SXC.hu

Face paints were tested and found to contain dangerous heavy metals.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics sent ten popular children's face paints to Analytical Sciences, an independent lab based in Petaluma, California, to have them tested for heavy metals. The results are scary.

In addition to having face paints tested, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics purchased other items that are popular for Halloween, such as hair color sprays and fake skin, and had them tested as well.  As with the face paints, the test results are cause for concern.

Among the problems found with these products are the following:

• 10 out of 10 face paints tested contained lead. Lead can harm children's developing brains even at low levels. The CDC and many other experts agree that there is no safe level of exposure to lead. Furthermore, lead does not break down in the body, and, thus, it accumulates over time. Lead exposure during prenatal development, infancy, and childhood can cause attention deficits, hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, IQ deficits, reduced school performance, aggression, and delinquent behavior.
• Six out of 10 face paints contained nickel, cobalt, and/or chromium, known skin allergens, at levels far exceeding recommendations of several industry studies. Exposures to nickel, cobalt, and chromium early in life increase the risk of allergies later in life; this can result in lifelong skin problems. (Nickel was named the "Allergen of the Year" in 2008 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.)
• Labels made misleading claims like "safe," "hypoallergenic," and "nontoxic." There are no legal definitions for such terms.
• Hair colors and other cosmetic products contained carcinogens, neurotoxins, and immunotoxins that are banned, restricted, and/or determined unsafe for use in cosmetics in many countries outside the U.S. They also contained colors not approved by the FDA for use in cosmetics.

The cosmetic industry is essentially unregulated in the U.S. As a result, consumers have no way of knowing what dangerous chemicals are in products just by reading their labels.

The FDA does not require the makers of cosmetics to list heavy metals or other harmful ingredients or contaminants on their product labels. In addition to this, the FDA does not perform routine testing on cosmetics and does not have the authority to require companies to conduct pre-market safety assessments of their products or the ingredients in them.

Another important point to make is that face paints are not just a once-a-year concern. The paints are also used in theater productions, at carnivals and fairs, and in everyday play. 

Also, while, fortunately, the ten face paints tested did not contain mercury or arsenic, some face paints that were tested in Canada did contain these harmful substances. Therefore, it is likely that some of the face paints in the U.S. that were not tested do contain mercury and/or arsenic. 

Furthermore, face paints aren't the only cosmetics that have been found to contain lead. Many other cosmetics that have been tested in the past, including lipsticks, were found to contain lead as well.

What can you as a parent or guardian do?

Unfortunately, other than having your own testing done, there is no way to know if the face paint that you purchase contains heavy metals. Therefore, for Halloween this year, having your children wear costumes that do not require face paints may be your best option.

This doesn't mean that there isn't anything that you can do long-term: You can work to make cosmetics safer. How?

• Encourage elected officials to ban harmful ingredients and contaminants from face paints and other cosmetics and to enact legislation giving the FDA the authority and resources it needs to regulate the cosmetics industry.
• Buy safer products. SafeCosmetics.org can help you find safer products.
• Contact manufacturers of face paints and other cosmetics and urge them to remove heavy metals and other toxic ingredients and contaminants from their products.

Heavy metals and other toxic substances in cosmetics are completely avoidable. The cosmetic industry needs to be regulated so that the health of consumers, both children and adults, is protected.