When we were all children, we couldn’t wait for this time of year to pick out our costumes and be allowed to paint our faces any way we wanted and that tradition still continues. But there’s some scary stuff lurking in face paints we may not know about and can end up hurting our little ghouls and goblins. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has just released a report that independently tested 10 children’s face paints and found low traces of lead which can cause attention deficits, IQ deficits and reduced school performance in small children.  Other metals such as nickel, cobalt and chromium are known contact allergens and have been found some of the face paints as well, with most of the levels exceeding the recommendations of other industry studies. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics also notes that many of the packages are misleading, in one case, a face paint package that was labeled as non-toxic was found to have some of the highest levels of lead, nickel and cobalt in the tests.

We suggest not only reading labels also finding face-paint alternatives. This would be the best time to allow your little ones to use Mommy’s makeup, with your supervision of course. Stay Safe!

For more information on heavy metals in face paint, please visit SafeCosmetics.org.

xx, Valis Vicenty