Ökotest examined finger-dye ingredients

Hazardous Ingredients: Twelve out of 14 fingerpaints fail at "eco-test"

08/30/2013

Children's toys are always in the headlines due to outgoing dangers for children. Öko-Test "has tested 14 products for substances of concern and came to a sobering result.With 12 finger paints, the marketability was not operated by the consumer advocates and classified as critical for small children.Only two finger paints have gotten good marks in the test.

Because of the long skin contact and because toddlers sometimes stick their fingers in the mouth, "Öko-Test" indicates a greater risk potential than other toys. One reason why the testers tested particularly rigorously, not only in the context of the legal safety guidelines for toys, but also on the basis of the "eco-test" requirements for cosmetics.

Dangerous preservatives and prohibited dyes
Finger paints must contain both bitters - which prevents children from licking the paint - and preservatives so that germs and fungi do not multiply in the opened paint pots. "Almost all manufacturers use substances with a high allergy potential, and two do not even comply with the legal limits," writes "Öko-Test".

On top of that came banned dyes that could cause cancer. In another product, the ingredients were declared completely wrong.

"Eco-Test" only recommends two finger colors
Only with the "eco finger paints" of the Dutch manufacturer SES, the testers had nothing to complain about and awarded the verdict "very good". Also good, despite point deduction for the ingredient paraben, cut off the "Nawaro finger paints" of Ökonorm.

The other finger colors all fell through completely. Even "not marketable" "Eco-Test" assessed the water-soluble finger paints of Simba Toys and the "Toppoint Figer stains" by Stylex. The Chinese-produced Simba paints contained an unacceptable amount of a suspected cancerous dye, as well as preservatives that were undeclared on the label. In the finger paints of Stylex were not enough Bitterstoff detectable, but the limit for a questionable preservative was exceeded.

Making finger paints yourself is child's play
If you want to play it safe, you can make harmless finger paints yourself. For this mix food coloring with 100 milliliters of warm water and stir in four lightly heaped tablespoons of flour and stir well. Beetroot, cherry, blueberry or spinach juice are great as an alternative to food coloring.

Because germs can form quickly due to the finger contact, it is recommended to keep the paint pots in the refrigerator. There, the colors last about one to two weeks. (Fr)