I just wanted to let all of you who follow and view my blog a chance to learn about these warnings that are being discussed on Facebook and in blogs. Most of these warnings pertain to the NEON paints distributed by DiamondFX, Wolfe FX, TAG & Kryolan. While Kryolan has been around for 75 years, the others have only been around the past 3-8 years.
While there is a problem with some products not being FDA approved for cosmetic use, it does not necessarily mean it can not be used on the skin. FDA requires that, if they have not approved a product or all the ingredients used, the manufacturer must post a warning on the label of the product, such as cigarettes do.
Now, DO NOT let this discourage you from getting or doing a face painting. Here are some good examples of non-FDA approved products that are used on or in the body without highly adverse reactions: Henna Tattoos, Regular Tattoo Ink, Body Piercings & Implants. Now, I know what you are thinking, Henna is FDA approved, but ONLY for HAIR!
There is also the scare about FORMALDEHYDE. Let me tell you like I did with the Halloween Makeup scare last year when they found LEAD in it. Unless you use it everyday, all day for 6 months or longer, you will NOT see a decline in your health. Your limbs, eyes, nose, ears, hair & skin will not fall off if you wear the paint for 4 hours and maybe 2-4 times a year.
As listed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review website:
Formaldehyde - ≤0.2% as free Formaldehyde, but keep to minimum; and should not be used in products intended to be aerosolized.
As noted in the original safety assessment of formaldehyde, aqueous formaldehyde/formalin solutions can irritate the skin and cause contact urticaria and allergic sensitization in both occupationally and non-occupationally exposed persons. The North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG) reported a 5% incidence of skin sensitization among 2,374 patients exposed to 2% formaldehyde in aqueous solution.
Aqueous formaldehyde solutions as low as 0.01% can elicit skin responses in some sensitized persons under occlusive conditions. Most sensitized individuals can tolerate repeated topical axillary application of products containing up to 0.003% formaldehyde equivalents on normal skin.
Cosmetic products containing 0.000185%-0.0925% formaldehyde equivalents were essentially nonirritating and non-sensitizing in 1,527 subjects in 18 studies summarized in Table 5 of the original
safety assessment.
Recent reviews addressing the potential for aqueous formaldehyde/formalin solutions are consistent with the observations reported in the original assessment.
For example, de Groot et al. (2009) noted that the frequency of sensitization to formaldehyde ranged from 6.8% to 9.3% in studies conducted from 1992 to 2005 in the U.S.
The prevalence rates in European countries range from 2% to 3%. The lowest concentrations of formaldehyde equivalents yielding allergic responses in formaldehyde sensitive patients were 0.02% to 0.03% in repeated open application tests (ROATs) of cosmetic creams and other products containing “formaldehyde releasers” on normal skin for up to 1 week.
As listed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review website:
Formaldehyde - ≤0.2% as free Formaldehyde, but keep to minimum; and should not be used in products intended to be aerosolized.
As noted in the original safety assessment of formaldehyde, aqueous formaldehyde/formalin solutions can irritate the skin and cause contact urticaria and allergic sensitization in both occupationally and non-occupationally exposed persons. The North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG) reported a 5% incidence of skin sensitization among 2,374 patients exposed to 2% formaldehyde in aqueous solution.
Aqueous formaldehyde solutions as low as 0.01% can elicit skin responses in some sensitized persons under occlusive conditions. Most sensitized individuals can tolerate repeated topical axillary application of products containing up to 0.003% formaldehyde equivalents on normal skin.
Cosmetic products containing 0.000185%-0.0925% formaldehyde equivalents were essentially nonirritating and non-sensitizing in 1,527 subjects in 18 studies summarized in Table 5 of the original
safety assessment.
Recent reviews addressing the potential for aqueous formaldehyde/formalin solutions are consistent with the observations reported in the original assessment.
For example, de Groot et al. (2009) noted that the frequency of sensitization to formaldehyde ranged from 6.8% to 9.3% in studies conducted from 1992 to 2005 in the U.S.
The prevalence rates in European countries range from 2% to 3%. The lowest concentrations of formaldehyde equivalents yielding allergic responses in formaldehyde sensitive patients were 0.02% to 0.03% in repeated open application tests (ROATs) of cosmetic creams and other products containing “formaldehyde releasers” on normal skin for up to 1 week.
The main point that Anna Wilinski is trying to make is that all the products should have warning labels on them and that the manufacturers need to list all ingredients used along with safety data information on all products and on their websites.
I agree totally with this and that is why I made this video and posted the following links, so you can be better informed and use what I call "COMMON SENSE"
- Anna Wilinski's Blog - http://annawilinski.wordpress.com/2011/03/27/information-about-neon-paints/
- FDA Cosmetics Website - http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/default.htm
- Cosmetics Info - http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/index.php
- Cosmetic Ingredient Review - http://www.cir-safety.org/
I love that you are telling people to do their own research. Everyone should! But you might want to double check your own info before posting world wide web videos ;) Or at least check who it is telling you your false info. There is actually 8 FDA approved Fluorescent (black light) colors. These are their names: D&C Orange No. 5, No. 10, and No. 11; D&C Red No. 21, No. 22, No. 27 and No. 28; and D&C Yellow No. 7. This list has been copied from http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductInformation/ucm143055.htm
ReplyDeleteFYI: Even tho the names might be D&C Red #21 and D&C Red # 22 and so on, the colors look very different. Some of these reds fall into the purple range. and the yellow has a greenish tint to it. As all artists know, with the combination of these 8 different colors you could actually create a wide variaty of 'FDA approved' colors.
Hope this helps! .. :)
Everyone has to do their own research but many don't realize the painter is MOST at risk because the carsinoginic chemicals in the paint leaches into the skin and are cumulative over the years of use, even if the painter wipes hands often.
ReplyDeleteA fabulously talented instructor was taken out of the business due to the cumulative effects of chemicals in the paint she used (in another technique) that left her health compromised and she can no longer paint. I just don't want to see that happen to other painters using paints with questionable ingredients.
Susan, PLEASE stop going on about cumulative effects. There is a big difference between cadmium and formaldehyde and there is no proof of longtime exposure being harmful with low dose formaldehyde at or under 0.2%
ReplyDeleteI do not delete any comments, but I will be forced to moderate heavily if this keeps up.