Study: Halloween face paint laced with lead | Yahoo! Green (http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_news/212/study-halloween-face-paint-laced-with-lead.html)

Study: Halloween face paint laced with lead
By Dan Shapley
Posted Tue Oct 27, 2009 12:37pm PDT


Some children's face paints are laced with undisclosed heavy metals that are known to be both acutely poisonous and to cause long-term health problems, ranging from skin sensitivity and brain damage.

The testing, by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of health and environmental groups, found that many face paints -- including those used in Halloween costume makeup -- often contain lead, nickel, cobalt and chromium. None of those ingredients, however, were listed on product packaging.

Makeup brands included Don Post Grease Paint Color Wheel, Alex Face Paint Studio, and Rubie’s Silver Metallic. Download the full report (PDF) for complete list.

The testing was limited to 10 Halloween face paint products bought at a seasonal store, but disturbing enough: All 10 costume makeups contained detectable amounts of lead, which is such a well-known pollutant that the federal government has banned or severely restricted its use in gasoline, paint, and -- most recently -- toys.

Exposure to lead is known to cause permanent brain damage, particularly if children are exposed in the womb or during the first six years of life, and can lead to a lifetime of problems ranging from learning disabilities to violent tendencies.

Six of the 10 Halloween face paints tested had nickel, cobalt, and/or chromium, all of which exceeded voluntary industry safety guidelines, and all of which could cause allergic reactions in some people, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

At least one Halloween costume makeup labeled "nontoxic" and "hypoallergenic" -- Snazaroo Face Paint -- contained some of the highest levels of lead, nickel, and cobalt detected by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' study.

The report also found many hazardous ingredients listed on the labels of Halloween hair-color sprays and makeup products, including butane (persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic), thiram (neurotoxic, possibly carcinogenic, used as a pesticide), alumina (neurotoxic), and propylene glycol (possibly carcinogenic), plus pigment green 7 and pigment blue 15, which are not approved by FDA for use in cosmetics.

According to the Campaign, these ingredients aren't listed on Halloween face paints because they aren't main ingredients and the Food and Drug Administration doesn't require the industry to label "contaminants." That doesn't mean they couldn't cause harm, or that parents wouldn't want to know about them before choosing costume makeup for use on their children's face.

See these 10 ways to protect your children from toxic face paint, or see the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' DIY face paint recipes. If you feel your child has been exposed to lead, contact your healthcare provider, and make sure the child is getting a diet full of calcium, iron and Vitamin C, which can help counteract lead poisoning.

whoa momma. Snazaroo??? And I talked to the owner Gary at Clownfest about my concerns and he was proud to say that his stuff is top shelf and safe.

Hmmmm.....

Safety information and ingredient copy listing that is posted on all SNAZAROO face paints.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Unsuitable for small children under 3 years due to small parts which may cause a choking hazard. The paints are safe for use on small children, it is just the small parts may cause a choking hazard. The product should not be used undiluted. In other words you add water to your brush or sponge before you apply it to the skin. Wash off using mild soap and water with the eyes tightly shut. Store in a clean dry area with the lid on. Use within 18 months of opening the package to avoid having the make-up dry and crack. All cosmetics can, on rare occasions cause allergic reactions and the product should not applied in the immediate eye area or to sensitive areas or broken skin. If you are unsure about sensitivity, a patch test is advised. Apply the product to the inside of the elbow. If a reaction occurs within 60 minutes, do not use.

Contents: PEG-32, Propylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol Ceteth-3 Acetate, Water, PEG-8 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-75 Lanolin, Phenoxyethanol, Methyl Paraben, Ethyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Butyl Paraben, MAY CONTAIN: Talc, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Iron Oxides, Ultamarine Blue, Ferric Terrocyanide, FD&C Blue 1 Al Lake, FD&C Yellow 5 & 6 Al Lake, D&C Yellow 10 Al Lake, D&C 7 Ca Lake, FD&C Red 40 Al Lake. SNAZAROO make-up strictly complies with all E.U. and F.D.A. regulations on cosmetics. PLEASE RETAIN THIS INFORMATION.

Questions on any specific product can be addressed to garycole@mindspring.com If you feel like you have concerns send a photo of the child with their face painted and a photo of the skin concern. Please verify FOR SURE which cosmetic products were used on your child. We receive may e-mails on brands that are manufactured in China, Taiwan or elsewhere. These products are not SNAZAROO. Our face paints are made in the United Kingdom and in some cases the paint kits are assembled in the United States. If you did not use SNAZAROO you should seek the advise of the manufacturer of the brand that you used.

SNAZAROO USA Inc., 1214 Metro Park Blvd., Suite 201, Lewisville, TX 75057
phone 972-221-8625 fax 972-221-8625 e-mail on safety issues garycole@mindspring.com

Gee, they didn't list lead, nickel or cobalt in their "may contain" list... And as far as I know, you can't take a picture of lead poisoning since it's not technically a "skin concern."

Okay, here's the things guys....this comes from an extreme leftist group who is questioning the FDA's regulation of cosmetics as a whole, not just for face paint. I'm involved in a face painter's forum, and just read Gary Cole's response to this. I'll have to post it tomorrow, but for now I don't have the time. Just wanted to quickly let you guys know that Snazaroo paints are not the devil!

Okay, here's the things guys....this comes from an extreme leftist group who is questioning the FDA's regulation of cosmetics as a whole, not just for face paint. I'm involved in a face painter's forum, and just read Gary Cole's response to this. I'll have to post it tomorrow, but for now I don't have the time. Just wanted to quickly let you guys know that Snazaroo paints are not the devil!

For the record, I, in no way, meant to imply that Snazaroo paints are the devil, or that I am personally anti-Snazaroo. I just found the article, and only after posting it here did I notice the reference to Snazaroo which I bolded an italicized myself, just as an attention getter. My posting such things shouldn't be in any way construed to imply that I have verified the validity of what was posted. Information purposes only.... :)

Terms and restrictions may apply. Side affects from reading my posts may include eye strain, belly laughter, head scratching while saying outloud "Was THAT supposed to be funny? I don't get it!" and occasional provocation of thought. Some readers have felt the urge to say the subject matter is NOT the devil. If you experience any of these symptoms and find such symptoms unpleasant, they ARE only temporary.

Dusty,
Even if it's not true, it's worth knowing about. Many people here use Snazaroo because of its reputation for safety; even if this is a myth, we need to know so that we can respond. Thank you very much for passing this on to us.

I'd rather know there's a possibility of contamination before useing it on kids. On myself is one thing, but kids! If the info is false, it'll work itself out. Thank you, Dusty, for bringing this to our attention.

Okay, here's the things guys....this comes from an extreme leftist group who is questioning the FDA's regulation of cosmetics as a whole, not just for face paint. I'm involved in a face painter's forum, and just read Gary Cole's response to this. I'll have to post it tomorrow, but for now I don't have the time. Just wanted to quickly let you guys know that Snazaroo paints are not the devil!

This response pisses me off, so I figured I have to say something. Of course the organization has an agenda, if they didn't have an agenda then this story would not exist.

The problem comes from dismissing the report wholly because of the agenda behind it.

There is danger inherit in everything, we all should know that even things that have been determined safe for years are sometimes found to harm us or cause serious diseases. If you read the full report, you can see that the organization behind it is not trying to put these companies out of business, they are just trying to encourage them to make better products, and encourage the FDA to pay more attention.

Greenpeace regularly was writing reports on how Apple products were horribly bad for the environment, why did they single out Apple? It's a big name and it made news for the campaign as a whole. How did Apple respond? Well, they didn't just shout that Greenpeace is an evil leftist organization (although some of their fans did), they went out and started a multi-year campaign to make their products more environmentally sound, and disclosed all the details of what they were doing.

That's what these makeup companies, and any of you who use these for customers should do.

State that all makeup has contaminates in small levels, as most products do. Defend your brand as having a strong reputation for safety awareness. State that your brand is always looking and working to improve safety, and remain open with it's customers.

Keep to the facts, and if a parent decides their child should not get their face painted, accept it.

I have only seen Gary Cole's comments reported second hand, but from this post it sounds like he's taking the defensive stand that the organization has an agenda, and his products do not need improvement. I hope I'm missing some details.

wickedfaire: Face Paint Safety (http://wickedfaire.livejournal.com/527401.html)

Not to say that I completely accept the report I posted as completely factual, but I found it interesting that the response (link posted by POJ) mentioned that the MSDS testing was done in the U.K. in 1995. That's over 10 years ago, and I think it's about time they re-test the materials, and have it done here in the US. I think that would go far in removing doubts. Otherwise it's like saying "Chevy Cavalier passed all safety tests in 1995, so we shouldn't have to retest the newer models." And to me, to state that the lead, nickel and cobalt are all part of the various ingredients so don't need to be mentioned, or that the levels then MUST be safe is not acceptable. Products that may contain peanut oil have to say so, so if LEAD is part of the ingredients of the ingredients, then folks NEED TO KNOW that. If unsafe levels are found, then obviously it's in there in SOME manner and should be mentioned somewhere. As POJ stated, just because an agency may or may not have an agenda (and let's face it, without an agenda, an agency is just a group of folks hanging out with no purpose) that doesn't make the results of any test they perform "inacurrate." If Snazaroo REALLY wants to rid itself of these doubts, then they need to have an independent agency test their products again and publish those results.

The only part that's bugging me right now is that they are "leftist"?? What does a left wing political opinion have to do with this?

In any case, whether their tests are accurate or not, the levels that they are talking about are less than you'll find in your average glass of tap water.

Here's a blog with a response from a very successful and published face painter from Alberta Shannon Fennell's Blog (http://shannonfennell.wordpress.com/)

Here's a blog with a response from a very successful and published face painter from Alberta Shannon Fennell's Blog (http://shannonfennell.wordpress.com/)

That's a good article, and I really do like Ben Nye's response. They seem to have handled this well. The article does try to dismiss the report though, which is annoying. Also, that's the second writeup I've seen saying the report is from The Daily Green. They're just a publication, the report is actually from the "Campaign for Safe Cosmetics". So bashing the Daily Green kinda bugs me too.

Basically people on all sides seem to be getting too worked out. I wish people could just step back and say "hmm, maybe we should look at this"... like most people in this thread did *claps, good job clown forum!*

Lastly, from some brief research the EPA says no level of lead in drinking water is safe, and treatment should begin if levels are above 0.015ppm, the makeup tested ranges from 0.054ppm to 0.65ppm. Of course, we're not ingesting this stuff (unless you do internal-organ-painting, in which case - I want photos!)

I guess it could be said that to say "Snazaroo has the highest levels tested" does nothing to say whether said levels are deemed hazardous. hmm.."could be said...to say...nothing to say..." I guess the response to THAT would be "You DON'T say!..."

In any case, I'd think that any product that you put on or in your body should be tested every year, as new testing technologies and medical studies become available. After all, 42 years ago when Ben Nye products started, the didn't realize cigarette smoking could have such potentially harmful affects either.

I just wish we could get people to stop using craft paints.

After all, 42 years ago when Ben Nye products started, the didn't realize cigarette smoking could have such potentially harmful affects either.

They put tobacco in their makeup??? where can i get some of that stuff??

Just finished reading the report from these anti-cosmetics folks. Here are the facts that I was able to glean from their own paper.

1. Pretty much everything (including candy) contains lead and other contaminants. It is theoretically possible to eliminate this, and that's what they want to see, the reality is that it would probably be prohibitively expensive.

2. They launched a similar campaign against lipstip a few years back. Lipstick contains FAR more lead and other contaminants. It failed spectacularly, so now they are back again, and this time their message is "Think of the children!!!!"

3. For comparison, Ben Nye contains about 1/15th as much lead as some of the lipsticks they tested. Snazaroo about 1/6th. In other words, it's safe. More, when you are dealing with fractions of a single part per million, it is unreasonable to say that Snazaroo is "worse" than any other brand -- it's just too little to control. It would depend more upon which container they happened to grab then on the product line.

Sadly the parents who see this report wont know any of this. They wont know the numbers and they wont understand the risks. All they know, if they saw the report and cared, is that face paint contains lead.

Whatever.

If they ask simply tell them the truth, that you can't comment on what anyone else uses, but YOUR cosmetics comply with all FDA regulations. If they want to discuss it with you more than this they weren't getting their kid's face done anyway.

And now for the good news...

By spring NO ONE is gonna remember this nonsense anyway.

Whoa, sorry I used the word devil. I wasn't trying to get anyone upset, and I was in no way implying that you were the devil, Dusty. I was just afraid that the article would do some serious PR damage to Snazaroo, as well as the other brands.

Here's a link to Gary Cole's response on another forum. Gary's Reply (http://www.snazaroo.us/PDF/faqreply.pdf)

Here's a copy of a statement from John Bailey, Chief Scientist for the Personal Care Products Council.

"October 27, 2009

Contact: Contact: Kathleen Dezio, 202/454-0302 or Lisa Powers, 202/466-0489

STATEMENT BY JOHN BAILEY, CHIEF SCIENTIST

PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS COUNCIL

HALLOWEEN FACE PAINTS ARE REGULATED BY FDA AND CAN BE USED SAFELY

On Oct. 27, 2009, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) issued a news release and report alleging that the levels of various heavy metals the group found in theatrical and Halloween face paints could lead to skin allergies in children.

"Face paints are novelty products that are applied infrequently and sold for use on special occasions or in theatrical settings. Like cosmetics, these products are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the color additives used in them must be approved and listed by FDA. Although the report does not identify the specific color ingredients in the products tested, the trace levels of naturally occurring heavy metals reportedly found in the products are well below the allowable levels set by FDA for approved colors as not presenting a safety concern.

"Although the report alleges that FDA does little to ensure the safety of these products, the agency does monitor face paints and has twice worked with manufacturers on recalls of face paint items when they were found to cause skin irritation and rashes.

"Parents are advised to follow all directions on how to use and remove face paints, avoid products that indicate they are not to be used on children, and test products on your child's arm a couple of days in advance to check for any potential allergic reaction. For more information on face paint safety and tips for safe use, parents should consult the FDA Web site at: Novelty Makeup (http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductInformation/ucm143055.htm). Parents may also read face paint product labels and consult this site to ensure that the color ingredients in the product they intend to buy are approved by FDA.

"If they follow these basic guidelines, parents can enjoy Halloween festivities with their children without unnecessary worry about the safety of these novelty products.

"Although CSC is recommending to parents that they should mix up their own children's face paints, parents should note that since heavy metals are ubiquitous in food, water, air and other consumer products, there is no guarantee that homemade face paints are safer or as safe as those that may be purchased in stores.”"

I know you weren't saying *I* was the devil. I wasn't saying Snazaroo was either, tho. I just found the info and thought it best to bring it to folks attention here just in case there was a kernel of truth to it. :) And I'm glad I did. I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't. :)