Palmer Face Paint

My questions regarding Palmer face paint, all started for me, when I asked for feedback on my "www.Face-Painting-Fun.com" website. I posted a thread in the facepainthq forum, asking for feedback from Face Painters, on the general content of my website. I was not expecting the anger of some pros regarding the fact that I was seen to be promoting Palmer face paint.

To see the full dialog, have a look at the: facepainthq forum thread. Here is a particularly scathing comment edited out of the thread:

Larissa Pelc an attorney said

"And yes, ONE USE CAN HARM. The FDA is crap. And you can't go by lawsuits. I've already said this - first, most parents wouldn't bother because the reaction is generally itchiness and a temporary rash. So the parents then just wait it out & treat it like poison ivy and then never let the kid get painted again, telling him or her IN FULL HEARING OF OUR CUSTOMERS AND POTENTIAL AT A FAIR, "Oh, no, you can't get face painted. Remember? You had that horrible rash from it!" Meanwhile, you don't get a chance to explain that her kid was previously painted with crap & you're using actual cosmetic-grade stuff. And what damage does that do with regard to people standing around who WOULD let their kids get painted but are made skittish by that mom's remarks?

Secondly, if someone did sue over it, because the damages are so minute, attorneys would not handle the case. It'd be a pro se case handled in small claims court, never reported anywhere, never making any noise. YOU WOULD NOT KNOW.

Larissa Pelc
Attorney AND Face Painter
(yes, for real) "

The whole thing, seemed very heated, and so I decided to ask Palmer themselves for a response. Although they took some time to come back to me, here is their response:

Dear Face-Painting-Fun:

I am responding to your concerns over the safety of Palmer’s Face Paint products. I have reviewed the blogging that you attached to your email. I found nothing specific except for a claim that our base is a latex used in house paint. This is untrue. The base for our face paint is a cosmetic grade resin approved for and used in many cosmetics.

Our face paint has been tested and approved for use by the Consumer Products Safety Commission, tested by Duke University to meet the ASTM D-4236 standards for children’s paints and contains only FDA Cosmetic grade pigments.

Although we have done everything in our power to make sure this product is safe for your children and ours (it was tested on the children of our staff), allergic reactions are always a possibility with any product and therefore we recommend testing before use.

Beverly A. Geisler, President

PALMER FACE PAINT PRODUCTS , INC.
1291 Rochester Road
Troy, MI 48083
bgeisler@palmerpaint.com
248-588-4500 x8103
248-588-4018 Fax

In conclusion then I will leave the debate over Palmer face paint to rage on. For me and my site I have left Palmer listed as one of the Brands of paint, since it is still a major player in the face painting market (by sheer volume). It's advantage seems to be low cost, and disadvantage that most pros recommend rather, using professional grade paints. I leave the decision to you. Personally I think that Palmer would be well advised to realize that the buying public in the information age, has more choice and is becoming more sophisticated, and thus should move with the market and introduce a quality professional grade product, and move away from the "craft paint" image of the past.