Keeping Halloween Healthy

Tips for Safe Tricks and Treats

By Jessica Squazzo

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides helpful tips for safely using makeup. It advises consumers to read labels, and if a product says to avoid use near the eyes, avoid use near the eyes, even if the package shows people wearing it near the eyes. If you're using a product you've never used before, dab it on your arm for a couple of days to check for an allergic reaction before you put it on your face.

The FDA also has some "colorful" advice. Colors that are safe on fingernails and hair may not be OK for use on your skin. Consumers should check the list of ingredients on the label and then check the summary of color additives on the FDA's Web site. On the site, there is a section especially about colors for cosmetics.

"If there's a color in your makeup that isn't on this list, the company that made it is not obeying the law," the FDA says. "Don't use it." Even if it's on the list, check to see if the FDA has given it the OK to be used near the eyes.

If you're making fluorescent colors a part of your or your child's costume, the FDA says there are seven fluorescent colors that are approved for cosmetics. None of them may be used near the eyes. The colors are D&C Orange No. 5, No. 10 and No. 11; and D&C Red No. 21, No. 22, No. 27 and No. 28. There is only one luminescent, or glow-in-the-dark, color approved for limited cosmetic use: luminescent zinc sulfide. It is not for everyday use or for use near the eyes and can be recognized by its whitish-yellowish-greenish glow, according to the FDA.

Want to see more?

• Costumes and Candy and Big Kids, Oh My! Halloween for the Older Set
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• Halloween Temptations: Healthy and Non-food Alternatives from Texas Children's Hospital
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