Switch to natural face paint
Why This is Green
While animal decorations at the school fair, fake blood for Halloween, and red lips as dress up are a fun part of childhood, the ingredients found in most face paints aren’t safe for children—even if they’re made for kids, or labeled non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and FDA compliant.
Face paints can contain controversial chemicals that have been linked to everything from cancers to hormone disruption to birth defects to skin or eye irritation. These include parabens, fragrance, dyes and other colorants, as well as many petroleum-derived ingredients.
According to the Pretty Scary report by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, some children’s face paints contain lead, a neurotoxin, as well as nickel, cobalt and chromium, which can cause lifelong skin sensitization and contact dermatitis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that parents avoid using cosmetics on their children that could be contaminated with lead. Unfortunately these metals aren’t found on a product’s ingredient labels
An easy out in the face of this much unknown and a serious lack of safety standards, is to avoid face paint and choose costumes that don’t require it.
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How To
If you’d like to decorate your kid, you can always use DIY face paint made of food grade ingredients.
If you’re going to use store bought products, buy the safest natural versions you can find on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database or the GoodGuide. One organic eyeliner goes a long way.
Avoid using product on kids’ lips or hands; both are a direct route of ingestion.
