Is that face paint on you safe?

It's that time of the year when Westerners, rich Pinoys or social climbing Pinoys celebrate Halloween. From cute get-ups to cool props, a wide variety of costumes and accessories are made available for the Halloween party guy/gal. Makeup, and face paint too, is an essential part of the Halloween getup. But how can we assure ourselves that a scary mark made from paint or makeup will not cause irritation or a bizzare reaction and become a permanent mark on your face?

Image from diy-enthusiasts.com

FDA (Philippines) may not have issued advisories regarding the matter maybe because the non-riche people (majority) do not care about Halloween. Thankfully for those people rich enough, and hopefully inquiring enough when it comes to safety, the US FDA gives a general advice from their site, and among a few are the following:

- follow the instructions and do not use products not intended for the skin. (Sorry, Boysen may be cheap but it's a no-no.) Also, there may be special instructions on how to remove the face paint within the instructions.
- if the face paint has a bad smell, it may be a sign it has been contaminated. (Or, it may not be face paint)
- read labels as some face paint cannot be used near the eyes
- patch test before use
- check the ingredient list and check with the FDA color additive list (look for the cosmetics table)
- do not wear the paint/makeup too long and remove it properly after use

If in case you have no idea if the face paint is correctly used by the artist (if you're asking someone to do it for you, which is the usual case here in the Philippines), do not hesitate to ask about your safety concerns. Going to reputable artists won't hurt either. If in doubt, it is best to do away with the face paint and stick with your face.

It's Halloween, anyway.