Silly Farm Supplies is a proud retailer of professional face and body art supplies.
We are distributors for several major make up manufacturers and we'd like to
take this opportunity to address a recent article published by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics   http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33524058/  regarding lead in face paints.

We at Silly Farm stand behind our products and their manufacturers. We have been the leading provider of face and body art supplies for over 20 years and have a close working relationship with the manufacturing companies. We stand behind their safety
ratings, trust that they have the best interest of the customer in mind, and that they take the necessary steps in making sure the products we use on children are safe and do not cause harm.

Ben Nye Corporation, one of the industries oldest and most notable make up manufacturers released a very informative and useful article in response to Safe Cosmetics article claims. Please take a  moment to review the release. We are confident it will set your mind at ease and give you piece of mind when speaking to concerned parents and for your own concerns. US Snazaroo Distributor, Gary Cole has also released a very informative statement which will also help you gain more insight into the materials and safety concerning face paint.
Official Release by Ben Nye Corp:
On Tuesday, a report was released by an organization called Campaign for Safe Cosmetics indicating that there are "potentially hazardous levels" of heavy metals in face paints.  Ten products were tested including our LW Lumiere Wheel, and competitor products from Mehron, Snazaroo and Wolfe Brothers.   All ten products contained lead; some of the other products tested also contained nickel, cobalt and chromium.  Our LW was reported to contain .19 parts per million (ppm) of lead (but no other metals).

This morning, NBC announced the CSC's claims on their news program.  Product names were not reported.  You can view the article here:    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33524058/

Most manufacturers and professionals in this industry know that groups such as CSC are irresponsibly reporting information to the public, causing consumer alarm and panic. This same organization issued a similar report in 2007 regarding lead in lipstick.  The FDA performed their own analysis of lipsticks and found that Pb (lead) levels "are within the range that might be expected from lipsticks formulated with permitted color additives and other ingredients prepared under GMP (good manufacturing practice) conditions.
The general feeling by the ICMAD (a cosmetic association to which we belong) is that the CSC got nowhere with the lipstick results, so now they're going after face paints.  The CSC's goal, it seems, is to force the FDA to require that cosmetics be free of contaminants such as lead and other metals.

The bottom line is this:  Lead is everywhere.  Lead is found in color additives and other raw materials used in the manufacturing of cosmetics.  The FDA is the U.S. agency that has legal authority over cosmetic safety, including certification of the color additives that are allowable in food, drugs and cosmetics.  The maximum allowable level of lead in a colorant is typically 20 ppm.

The FDA-recommended limit for lead in candy is 0.1 ppm.  The FDA has not determined that there is a safety concern regarding lead in cosmetics which are applied topically (not ingested), therefore, no upper limits have been established.

Please read the attached bulletin for your own benefit.  If questions come up come up from dealers and end-users, please feel free to email or fax the attached as our "official" statement regarding this issue.  You are encouraged to visit both websites listed for further information.
We at Silly Farm have the upmost concern for the safety of our customers and our industry. We will continue to follow studies, work with the manufacturers to bring you pertinent information, and keep up to date information regarding the materials used in the products we carry and sell.
Please keep in mind that the face and body art industry has experienced amazing growth over the past 10 years and the manufactuers such as Mehron, Snazaroo, Ben Nye, Kryolan, and Wolfe have invested millions into research, development, and follow the required steps to ensure a safe industry. With the continued success and growth we can look forward to a safer and healthier industry with better product awareness.
Please feel free to contact us with any concerns or questions. We are always glad to help.
Sincerly,    Silly Farm Supplies   866-871-9403