Halloween is around the corner, and the kids are already begging for a vampire or witch look. For many parents, that means a quick stop at a drugstore for a cheap face-paint kit.
A peer-reviewed analysis of 95 costume cosmetic samples found toxic metals in face paints sold for children and adults. The study ran in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in late December 2022.
The research team detected arsenic, cadmium, lead, chromium and nine other potentially toxic elements across the samples. Arsenic alone accounted for roughly 90 percent of the overall cancer risk the authors calculated for exposed users.
Lead showed up above EU safety limits in 2.2 percent of samples, and cadmium exceeded EU limits in 12.7 percent.
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The scientists tested 90 face paints from four brands and five professional stage makeup sticks from one brand, bought in a large commercial center in São Paulo.
Flagged by the FDA
The Food and Drug Administration has been raising concerns about novelty makeup for years.
Face paints have been pulled from the US market in the past after customers reported rashes, irritation, itching and minor swelling where the paint went on.
By law, every color additive used in a cosmetic, including face paint and theatrical makeup, has to be approved by the agency for that exact use. A color that is cleared for your hair or fingernails may not be cleared for your skin.
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If a color on the ingredient list is not on the FDA's approved list, the product is not following the rules. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury can also end up in costume paints as impurities, and impurities do not have to appear on the label.
Three quick checks before you paint a face
The FDA's main consumer tip is a patch test. Dab a small amount on your forearm and wait a couple of days before anything goes on the face. If the skin turns red, swells or itches, skip the product.
Second, check the colors against the agency's approved list.
Only eight fluorescent (neon) colors are cleared for cosmetics, and only one glow-in-the-dark color, luminescent zinc sulfide, which is cleared only for externally applied facial makeup for infrequent occasions like Halloween.
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Third, be careful with imported novelty brands that carry a thin or missing ingredient list. The 2022 analysis was done on products bought in Brazil, but similar impurity problems have driven US face-paint recalls in the past.
Safer options for Halloween night
Products that stick to FDA-approved color additives, and are marketed as cosmetics rather than toys or novelties, are the safer bet. Water-based face paints from established cosmetics makers are easier to vet than loose party-store kits.
If anyone in the house has sensitive skin or a history of allergies, a 48-hour patch test with two applications is a reasonable step. The 2022 study authors flagged children in particular, because their developing systems are more sensitive to toxic elements.
Readers can look up any color on the FDA's Summary of Color Additives before buying. A reaction to a product can be reported to the agency through its cosmetic complaint system.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.