The reaction to your Halloween makeup will probably not show up at the party. Dr. Rajani Katta, a dermatologist at Baylor College of Medicine, says contact dermatitis from a new product usually appears two to three days after it touches your skin, so a rash from Saturday night's zombie face can arrive on Monday morning, when nobody connects it to the costume. Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31 this year, 23 days from today, enough time to do the one thing that catches most of these reactions. Costume makeup also invites shortcuts an ordinary routine never would: neon paint from a pop-up store, adhesive meant for a fake beard, a pot of glitter left over from a craft project. The FDA, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), and the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins have all published guidance on this, and it agrees closely.
Patch Test Now, Not the Night Before
A patch test done on Friday afternoon tells you nothing about a Saturday-night party.
The FDA's Halloween guidance says to test any makeup you plan to wear at least 24 to 48 hours ahead, using a small amount on the arm of the person who will wear it. Rash, redness, swelling, or other irritation at that spot is a sign of a possible allergy. Katta goes further for sensitive skin and suggests dabbing a little on the forearm for a full week, because the reaction she describes is delayed. For a party on the 31st, the bare minimum puts your deadline at Thursday, October 29, while the one-week version starts Saturday, October 24. If you have eczema, rosacea, or a history of reacting to cosmetics, choose the week.
Test one new product at a time, as the AAO advises for eye makeup: if three go on your arm together and it flares, you have learned nothing about which one did it. And a clean forearm does not clear a product for your eyelids. Dr. Meng Meng Xu, an optometrist at Wilmer, notes that the eyelids and the surface of the eye are more prone to irritation than skin elsewhere on the body.
Read the Color Names, Not the Marketing
Federal law requires every color additive in a cosmetic, face paint and theatrical makeup included, to be approved by the FDA, and the agency also decides where on the body each one may be used. A color cleared for most of your face may not be cleared near your eyes. The FDA's own instructions are a bit of detective work: find the color names in the ingredient list, then look them up in the agency's Summary of Color Additives. If a color in your face paint is not on that list, the manufacturer is not following the law, and you should not use the product. Even when the color is listed, check whether it is cleared for the eye area.
Cosmetics sold to consumers must carry an ingredient list, and the FDA treats a retail product without one as misbranded, so put back any face paint that has none. The FDA states that no federal standard or definition governs the word "hypoallergenic," that it means whatever a company wants it to mean, and that manufacturers do not have to submit proof to the agency. "FDA approved" is just as slippery: finished cosmetics do not need FDA approval before they go on sale, and only color additives do.
Neon and glow-in-the-dark looks come with extra limits. The FDA lists eight fluorescent colors approved for cosmetics: D&C Orange No. 5, 10, and 11; D&C Red No. 21, 22, 27, and 28; and D&C Yellow No. 7. None of them is allowed near the eyes. The only luminescent color approved for cosmetic use is zinc sulfide, cleared for limited use in August 2000, and it is off-limits near the eyes too. If a label says "not for use near the eyes," believe it, even when the packaging shows a model wearing it there. And if a paint smells very bad, the FDA says that can signal contamination, so throw it away.
Start With What Is Already in Your Makeup Bag
Costume-store makeup deserves the most suspicion. Some of what costume shops and big retailers sell is oil-based, Katta says, and oil-based products can clog pores and make acne worse. For breakout-prone skin she recommends products labeled non-comedogenic, and for everyone she recommends water-based paint over oil-based, since it comes off more easily. If you have a history of reactions or breakouts, she says, stick with products you already use and use them in a different way: a plum cream blush becomes a bruise, and a dark eyeshadow becomes sunken eyes. A palette your skin already tolerates beats a costume-aisle kit you have never tried.
Your own makeup has one catch, which is age. The AAO says to throw out eye makeup after three months, because creamy and liquid products grow bacteria easily, and dermatologist Dara Spearman, quoted by the American Academy of Dermatology, cites a study that found Staph aureus in mascara after three months of use. A mascara or liquid liner opened in July or earlier has already crossed that line by October 31. Replace it before the party rather than after the infection.
The Eye Area Has Its Own Rules
Xu says patients sometimes arrive with allergic reactions, corneal scratches, and eyelid infections after using false eyelashes and glitter-based costume makeup. The AAO calls glitter eye makeup a common cause of corneal irritation or infection, especially for contact lens wearers, and warns that larger flakes can scratch the eye much like sand. Johns Hopkins adds a distinction that is easy to miss: the plastic particles in cosmetic glitter are nontoxic, but near the eyelids they can migrate onto the eye and scratch the surface, while craft glitter, which can contain metal or glass particles and harmful dyes, should never go on skin at all. Skip glitter on the lids and cheekbones, and put any sparkle on a collarbone or the backs of your hands.
Liner placement matters as much as the product. The AAO says to apply eye makeup outside the lash line, which keeps it from blocking the oil glands that protect the surface of the eye, and Johns Hopkins says products applied inside the lash line increase irritation and dryness. That rules out the smudged black waterline many skeleton looks call for. False lashes carry their own risk: the AAO recommends them for special occasions only and applied by a professional, since glued or magnetic lashes can irritate the lids or scratch the cornea.
Then there are costume contact lenses. Decorative lenses, whether they turn brown eyes blue, give you cat eyes, or make you look like a vampire, are medical devices, and the FDA says every contact lens needs a prescription. Selling them without one is illegal, and the agency says never to buy lenses from a street vendor, beauty supply store, flea market, novelty store, or Halloween store. Risks include corneal abrasion, infection, decreased vision, and blindness. Skip them unless an eye doctor has fitted you; the FDA is explicit that Halloween should not be the first time you wear contacts. If your eyes turn red, hurt for more than a short while, or your vision drops, take the lenses out and see an eye doctor right away.
Black Henna and Other Skin Add-Ons
The FDA's rule for novelty makeup fits in one line: don't decorate your face with things that were not made for skin. That covers craft glue, paint from a hardware store, and the temporary "black henna" tattoo you might be offered at a fall festival. Henna is approved by the FDA only as a hair dye, not for direct use on skin. To turn it black, sellers often add p-phenylenediamine (PPD), a coal-tar hair dye ingredient that can cause dangerous skin reactions, and by law PPD is not permitted in cosmetics applied to the skin. Adhesives such as fake-beard glue need the same caution.
Taking It Off Is Half the Job
The FDA's advice is blunt: do not go to bed with the makeup on, because leaving it too long can irritate your skin, and bits can flake or smear into your eyes. The AAO describes a 50-year-old woman who slept in mascara for more than 25 years and developed black lumps under her eyelid that led to follicular conjunctivitis.
Katta notes that a lot of Halloween makeup is heavier than the everyday kind, so soap and water may not remove all of it, and waterproof or oil-based products stay put. Her fix is double cleansing: a makeup remover first, then a face wash suited to your skin type, with an oil- or cream-based remover for oil-based paint. The FDA's version is simpler and just as sound: remove each product the way its label says, whether that means cold cream, soap and water, or an eye makeup remover.
- Start with the remover the label names, and let it sit on the heavy areas for a minute rather than rubbing.
- For the eyes, the AAO calls Vaseline a very effective remover because it lubricates and lets makeup slide off without tugging. Then wash the lids with tear-free baby shampoo, rinse thoroughly, and run a clean cotton swab along the base of the lashes.
- Cleanse a second time with your usual face wash, using gentle pressure.
- Finish with a plain moisturizer to help the skin barrier recover.
Leave the scrubs out of it: the AAO warns that cleansers with scrubbing beads can scratch and irritate the area around the eyes.
When a Rash Is More Than Costume Fallout
According to the FDA, some face paint products were recalled in March 2005 and May 2009 after they caused rashes, irritation, itching, and minor swelling where they were applied, so a product on a store shelf is not automatically a safe one. If you react, stop using it and write down the ingredients so you can spot them in other products; the AAO suggests telling your doctor, who may know of gentler alternatives. The FDA takes reports of cosmetic reactions through its complaint process. A rash that does not improve or swelling that spreads is a reason to see a dermatologist, and any eye redness, lasting pain, or drop in vision after costume makeup or lenses is a reason to see an eye doctor that day.
If you have already bought the paint, put a dab of it on your forearm tonight. That gives you three weeks of margin, more than the week Katta suggests for sensitive skin.