With Halloween around the corner, parents around the country are throwing their money at costume and crafts shops to make the day memorable for their children.
It's not new for makeup to add the final touch on a Halloween attire, for children and adults alike, but parents are now warned against some of the cosmetic products marketed for kids.
According to Senator Charles Schumer, the face paint used on kids may do more harm than fun due to some previously unknown toxic substances. In a press conference on Oct. 18, he revealed that most makeup products manufactured in China contain toxic chemical agents such as lead, nickel, cobalt, and chromium.
Even though these are hazardous ingredients that can cause sickness in children, they are almost never listed on the package. Schumer also presented some sample toxic makeup palettes provided by Wet N' Wild Fantasy Makers, Fun World, and Rubie's Costume Company.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already been warned about the situation in a letter written by Schumer. He has urged officials to implement stricter regulation on these harmful products, requesting the agency to design rigid guidelines regarding the necessity to reveal on labels the dangerous components of the products.
The use of lead in cosmetic products has been banned in both Canada and Europe, but the U.S. has yet to regulate the use of the harmful ingredient. Schumer claims the FDA does not routinely examine novelty cosmetics allowing the dangerous ones to still be sold on the market.
Individuals who use these products can experience vomiting and abdominal pain cause by a buildup of toxic chemicals over time. If the exposure spans over several years, complications in the nervous system could also ensue.
Schumer encourages parents to be more careful regarding which novelty items are fit to go inside their shopping baskets. In most cases, parents have no idea what they put on their child's face; he added that parents think products are automatically safe for children if they are put on display, but they really are not.
Schumer was particularly vehement against the use of China-made makeup for kids. If nothing else, parents should always make sure they don't buy makeup that says made in China.
Advocacy group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has supported Schumer's claims by releasing a report on toxic content in kids' face paint; they found lead in 10 of the products tested and nickel, cobalt and/or chromium in 6 others.
Return to News Home
