I was a little behind in my RSS articles but I stumbled upon a report about Halloween makeup to which the Beauty Brains had to weigh in.

The fear mongering folks at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics are at it again. According to their latest report, Halloween face paint is contaminated with lead, nickel, chromium and cobalt. They say this is because of the lack of regulation by the FDA and warn that exposure to these toxic (naturally occurring) chemicals “can lead to hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, IQ deficits, reduced school performance, aggression and delinquent behavior.”

Finally, they recommend that parents “avoid using face paints on children until safety standards are put in place.” They further suggest that you “make your own face paint with food-grade ingredients.”

Not surprisingly, the PCPC (cosmetic industry trade group) responded by saying that the “the trace levels of naturally occurring heavy metals reportedly found in the products are well below the allowable levels set by FDA for approved colors as not presenting a safety concern.”

So, who should you believe?

Lead in Facepaint

No one is disagreeing with the finding that lead was found in the Halloween face paint. With all the lead found naturally in our environment it is understandable and should be expected that products like this will contain some lead. The recent study found 0.05 to 0.65 ppm.

Safe lead levels?

But is the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics claim that “Experts say there is no safe level of lead exposure for children” true?

This idea of “no safe level of lead” comes from an international study which showed even low levels currently considered safe could affect IQ scores. However, the study doesn’t show “no safe level of lead”. What it shows is that the current standards may need to be reduced.

In reality, it is impossible to create a standard of zero. Scientists create better and better measurement devices so the idea of “undetectable” gets smaller and smaller. Soon, we’ll be able to find some level of lead in everything. Regulations must always be based on some “safe level”. The only debate should be about what is that safe level.

Regulation of lead

According to the FDA, they do not directly regulate the amount of lead in cosmetics but they do regulate the lead in cosmetic colorants at 20 ppm. This is the “safe level” according to studies done by the FDA. They also conclude that there is no need to be concerned about the level of lead found in cosmetics. The levels found in the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics study were within safe levels.

Should you make your own?

One recommendation made was that people should make their own face paint. But if there is “no safe level of lead exposure” how can they possibly make this recommendation?

Food and water all contain lead. Currently, the EPA allows 15 ppb of lead in your drinking water. If you are using water to make the face paint as suggested, you are exposing your child to lead. If you use natural colorants to make the face paint, you are also exposing your child to lead.

Why would advocates of safe cosmetics tell people to use lead-containing ingredients to make face paint?

Could it be that they think there is a safe level of lead?  If so, what is it?

Beauty Brains bottom line

There is no evidence that the amount of lead found in Halloween face paint, lipsticks or other cosmetics is harmful to children or adults. But if you are scared to use it, don’t use anything. Everything has lead in it.

If you want more information based on science, see what the FDA has to say about Halloween face paint.

Christa questions…Hi! I’m new to this site, but was impressed by the thorough analysis done on other products.

My daughter is selling NYR Organic bodycare products and I was wondering if any here have tried it, and would be interested in hearing an analysis from the brains of the group! I’m not a hardcore organic person, but was impressed at how quickly a small 3rd degree burn healed when I used their lavender oil on it, and then I went to a “practice party” that my daughter did, I was able to check out a few more products. As a good mom would, I am scheduled to host a party, but I am more interested in the analysis of the product before I make any kind of investment in it.

Left Brain launches:

So sorry about the delay in answering, Christa, we are working hard on meeting our deadline for our new Beauty Brains book. But I thought I’d take time out to answer this one since enlightening people to the realities of multi-level marketing (e.g. Arbonne) is one of my favorite things to do.

So, your question is basically….Should you invest in NYR Organic?

NYR Organic products

I’ve never used NYR Organic products but you can learn a lot about a product by reviewing the ingredient list. It turns out that they use the same ingredients that everyone else uses. In the cosmetic industry, nearly everyone has access to the same ingredients and ingredient suppliers. Bigger companies will sometimes get exclusive deals, but it’s rare that anyone can gain an advantage by the source of their raw materials. NYR Organic is no different.

As a quick example, look at their Body Cream

You can click the link for the full list but basically the formula is water, emulsifier (glyceryl stearate) and an oil phase (cetearyl alcohol, Lanolin alcohol, Shea butter, etc). It’s probably a fine formula as they no doubt work with some excellent cosmetic chemists. But this formula isn’t any better than something like Burt’s Bees body butter. And at $36 for 5.2 ounces, NYR Organic doesn’t even compare in value to Burt’s Bees product at $13 for 6.6 ounces.

Of course, even Burt’s isn’t even as good a value as something like Neutrogena Body Cream at $7.70 for 6 ounces.

But the point is, there is nothing about NYR Organic formulas that makes them superior to other, less expensive products you can buy. And if you find the natural / organic story compelling, then Burt’s Bees, JASON, or any of the other host of “natural / organic” products you can buy at regular stores will be a better value.

NYR Organic Sales System

I do not know any more about this company than what I’ve read on their website. However, from your description of hosting parties and “investing” in the products, it sounds very much like a system of distribution called Network Marketing or Multi-Level Marketing. In this system, they get “consultants” to buy products, sell them to their friends & family, and then try to get the “consultants” to convert their friends into consultants who will then give them a kickback on every sale.

The whole system is very much like a pyramid scheme in which no one (except the people who started the company) really makes any significant money. Of course, it’s not an illegal pyramid scheme because product is actually produced and sold.

Before you invest any money in this company or any other, be sure to read this information about Multi-level Marketing.

And if the guy at Skeptoid doesn’t make you think twice, read what the FTC has to say about Multilevel Marketing.

Beauty Brains Bottom line

Should you buy into the NYR Organic system and become a consultant? Ultimately, you have to decide this for yourself. But if the reasons are because the products are something special (they aren’t) or that you’ll make a lot of money (you won’t), then you’ll be best served by skipping this “opportunity”.

What do you think about multilevel marketing opportunities? Have you joined and made money? Leave a comment below and let the other Beauty Brains community members know.

The Kohls department store is having a holiday sale and wanted to generate some good will (and publicity) among beauty bloggers.  This means that they sent us a $25 gift card to do whatever we would like with.

We have decided to give it away to one of our active forum members.

What do you have to do to be eligible?

To be eligible, all you have to do is become a Beauty Brains Forum member

(click here if you are not already a member)

Then leave a comment on this thread

That’s it!

Of course, we also encourage you to peruse the forum and participate in the discussions.

Who will win?

On 11/11 (I like palindromes) we will randomly pick a winner from the people who left comments and send you the gift card that you can use at any Kohl’s department store.

While the Beauty Brains focuses on dispelling myths about beauty products here are some others trying to burst the bogus bubble in other areas.

1. On Nutrition: See Medical News Today – Dispelling the Top 10 Nutrition Myths.

2. On Exercise: See About.com – Fitness Myths.

3. On General Science: See Livescience – Most Popular Myths in Science.

4. On Urban Legends: Try Snopes.com

5. On the Environment: Discover Magazine – Environmental Myths.

And let’s not forget one of our favorite shows on TV. Mythbusters! We love Adam and Jamie.

Recycled wrappings and led lights keep girlawhirl’s holiday prep green and clean.

SeenON! shows you great gifts for $50 and under at the SeenON! Boutique!

Check out trendy boots in SheZoom’s foot fashion feature.

Smarter Fashion shows us some great options for holiday dresses.

Just in time to save money for the holidays,The Beauty Brains explain why you may be spending too much money on expensive skin care products.