You would’t knowingly paint your kids’ faces with questionable chemicals and heavy metals, right? Yet, that might be what you end up doing if you buy standard Halloween face paint and other kid-oriented cosmetics, says a new report.

The report on toxic Halloween face paint is called Pretty Scary 2: Unmasking Toxic Chemicals in Kids’ Makeup.  It reveals that more than 50 percent of face paints and cosmetics marketed to kids contains at least one ingredient or contaminant linked to hormone disruption, developmental delays, learning difficulties, or cancer.

The report, issued by the Breast Cancer Fund and its Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, is based on research and lab testing done on 187 cosmetic products marketed to kids. Among the harmful ingredients found in these products are lead, cadmium, styrene, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene and toluene.

“The presence of both lead and cadmium in kids’ products is dangerously concerning,” report the researchers. “The strong association of lead with neurological and intellectual impairments has led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to declare there is no safe blood level of lead.”

“Cadmium is of particular concern due to its capacity to mimic estrogen and research linking cadmium to breast cancer,” they also reported.

Among the products that were contaminated with VOCs were Disney Frog Lip Gloss, Disney Frozen stick-on nails, Disney Princess Lip Gloss, Hershey’s Reese’s lip balm, Hershey’s Bubble Gum lip balm, Minions Nail Polish Pink, the Batman Party Makeup Set, and the Killer Clown Makeup Kit.

Most of these products are commonly sold at big-box stores along with Halloween costumes and candy. Some of the VOCs researchers detected in them are associated with serious long-term health concerns, such as breast cancer and hormonal irregularities. In all cases, the concentrations of VOCs in kids’ products were significantly higher than the limits EPA has set for drinking water.

That’s particularly significant because “children are highly vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals during critical windows of development,” say the researchers. Plus, kids might use face paint and other make-up all year round—they could have multiple exposures over time.

Most people assume the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates cosmetics and personal care products in the same way it does food and drugs to assure safety.

In fact, cosmetics are one of the least regulated consumer products on the market today, the researchers report. In addition, existing cosmetic safety law is over 75 years old and provides the FDA “with virtually no statutory power to perform even the most rudimentary functions to ensure the safety of an estimated $71 billion cosmetic industry.”

Don’t Miss: Green Halloween Costumes – Swap Before You Shop

The ingredients in cosmetic products sold via the Internet—a primary source of shopping for tweens, teenagers and their busy parents—don’t actually have to be labeled, say the report’s authors. Neither do the ingredients in fragrance, even though 40% of the cosmetics and personal care products on the market today contain fragrance, a catch-all term for compounds that might consist of hundreds of chemicals—including known carcinogens, hormone-disruptors and other toxic offenders.

Breast Cancer Action Fund is working to get the federal government to update its regulations on cosmetics to protect kids. It’s also encouraging manufacturers to eliminate chemicals in their products that are linked to cancer, birth defects, developmental harm and other health concerns.

How to Keep Kids Safe From Toxic Halloween Face Paint

In addition to encouraging lawmakers to protect kids legislatively, here’s how you can keep your kids safe.

• Practice the Precautionary Principle, which advocates that it’s better to be safe than sorry. Skipping face paint and cosmetics aimed at kids is the best way to make sure they won’t be exposed to the chemicals identified in the Pretty Scary report.

• 

  Get your kids Halloween masks rather than paint their faces. Just be sure the masks only cover the eyes or the chin, not the nose or mouth. Kids can still have fun creating a great costume, but they won’t be breathing in any chemicals from paints that might be applied to the mask.

• Use stick-on tattoos that are easy to remove. Again, don’t apply them around the nose or mouth.
• Favor organic, plant-based cosmetics like powdered eye shadow, eyebrow pencil, bronzer, and blush. Have your child cover her mouth and nose if you’re brushing on any powders that could be easily inhaled.
• Avoid gluing on false eyelashes. Instead draw them on with an organic-based eyebrow pencil.
• Use plant-based, organic lipstick and unflavored lip balm. Avoid lip balms that supposedly taste like candy, since all the kids will do is lick them off!
• Skip perfume or other fragrances. Kids will be running around outside and no one will care what they smell like, anyway!
• Avoid products that boast that they soak into the skin. That’s not what kids need!
• Wash off the make-up as soon as the kids get home. Make sure they don’t fall asleep wearing it.

Don’t Miss This Popular Post: 6 Non-Toxic Ways to Paint Your Face for Halloween

By the way, if you already have face paint at home for your kids, you could try reading the label to see what it contains. Toss or return the product if the ingredients include benzophenones, BHT, ethoxylated ingredients, formaldehyde, fragrance, mineral oil, parabens, petrolatum, silica, styrene compounds, and talc.

Keep in mind that dangerous heavy metals like lead and cadmium won’t show up in the ingredients list, since they can only be detected in a lab.

The post Toxic Halloween Face Paint is Bad News For Kids appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Conventional face paint may contain all sorts of nasty elements like lead, arsenic, and mercury that  you really shouldn’t be putting on your body, especially not near your eyes or on your lips, where you could accidentally eat them. Fortunately, there’s plenty of non-toxic face paint for Halloween to keep you safe as well as spooky.

Here are the 6 safest options you’ll want to try:

1) Buy cosmetics or cosmetic-grade paint. Skip acrylics and oil paints – those are for cloth or paper canvases, not human ones. Don’t use watercolor markers or pencils, either. Given how many colors are available in organic, non-toxic eye shadow, eye liner, eyebrow pencil, bronzer, foundation, blush, lipstick and nail polish, you can probably find everything you need at the make-up counter. Just remember to look for cosmetics that are paraben- and phthalate-free (we list a good selection in our Amazon store here).

2) Avoid metallic glitter. The Food and Drug Administration recommends glitter made from polyester rather than tiny metal fragments. But you would be better off with a reusable, glittery mask. Any kind of glitter makes a mess, both while you’re putting it on and when you’re trying to take it off. Sometimes, glitter particles are so tiny they can get stuck in your eye or you can accidentally inhale them. A mask sprinkled with glitter that’s glued on is the safest to use. BONUS: put it away in a safe spot when Halloween is over, then either update it when you take it out next year or swap it with a friend or neighbor for different ghoulish garb.

3) Consider Go Green Face Paint – This certified organic face paint is ready to use so you do not need to add water. It vows it is lead-free and uses a rice cream as its base, enhanced with jojoba oil and no dyes that contain heavy meals. The Party Pack includes 15 colors and 6 different color sets for faces like Monster Madness, Classic Clown and Superhero Supreme. The paints have a long shelf life, so you can use them beyond Halloween, like decorating for birthdays or other special events.

Want some great ideas for eco-friendly costumes? Don’t miss: Green Halloween Costumes – Swap Before You Shop

4) Check out Natural Earth Paint. Their Natural Face Paint Kit is made from over 70% certified organic ingredients that are clay and mineral-based. They also contain organic, Fair Trade shea butter and organic castor seed oil. Finally, these paints are free of nano particles, heavy metals, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde and animal products like carmine.

5) Try Glob’s Natural Face Paint – This looks like the tray of watercolors I used to paint with when I was a kid. But the ingredients are much better: botanical extracts, natural colors, certified organic ingredients, and no artificial dyes or hars chemicals.

6) Make your own. Mix creamy fragrance-free skin lotion that’s also free of parabens and phthalates with a few drops of plant-derived food coloring. Spread the “paint” on thinly and let it dry. Or, mix 1 tablespoon solid shortening with 2 tablespoons cornstarch until smooth. Add natural-based food coloring one drop at a time until you get the desired color. Use a clean sponge or fingers to apply where you want it. Remove with warm water and soap.

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NOTE: We earn a tiny commission on products bought in our Amazon store. There is no additional cost to you, but it helps us continue to provide you with our expertise and guidance. Thanks.

The post Non-Toxic Face Paint for Halloween: 6 Safest Options appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Snazaroo’s 50 colors are water-based, made with materials that meet health and safety standards set both by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union, and carry a ‘child safety” toy rating. Need sparkle, brushes, sponges or stencils so you don’t turn your princess into a pea pod? Snazaroo sells it all.

Lyra Face Paint Pencils are non-toxic and dermatologically tested to maximize safety. Manufactured according to European Standards and certified by the Art and Craft Materials Institute, they come in a set of six easy-to-apply colors (white, yellow, red, blue, green and black).

Pink Quartz Minerals (featured in photo) is a vegan mineral makeup manufacturer that also offers non-toxic, mineral-based Halloween makeup in a wide variety of colors.

If you have any doubts about a product you’re considering, check the ingredients against the data base maintained by Environmental Working Group.

Of course, you can always buy organically-based, paraben- and phthalate-free cosmetics in your grocery or department store. You can even make your own. Here’s a recipe from…

FamilyEducation.com:

Homemade Halloween Face Paint Recipe:

Materials
Bowl

1 tablespoon solid shortening
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Water (optional)
Natural-based food coloring (you can find this at your local Whole Foods that carries all-natural, non-petroleum-based food coloring items or you can make your own natural food coloring with items you may already have stored in your kitchen!

Small jar or plastic container

Directions
In a bowl, mix shortening and cornstarch until smooth.
Add food coloring one drop at a time until you get the desired color.
Use a clean sponge or fingers to apply paint to a large area or use a small clean brush to apply thin paint- with a little water first.
Remove with soap and water.
Store covered.

Want more green Halloween ideas? Start here.

The post Make Your Own “Green” Halloween Face Paint appeared first on Big Green Purse.