CPC for halloween toys and costumes

Halloween toys and costumes designed or marketed to children 12 and under are children’s products: they need third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted laboratory and a Children’s Product Certificate citing toy standard, flammability, lead, and small-parts rules, plus tracking labels on the product and packaging. The importer or US manufacturer issues the CPC — marketplaces can request it at any time.

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Which rules apply to halloween toys and costumes The testing and certification path

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Which rules apply to halloween toys and costumes

Halloween toys, costumes, and makeup are children’s products certified to the toy standard with costume flammability testing (fabric costumes burn fast), lead screening on makeup and painted accessories, and small-parts review on novelty items for under-3 grades.
CPSIA section 101 total lead content in accessible substrate materials.
16 CFR part 1303 lead in paint and surface coatings where painted or coated.
CPSIA section 103 tracking labels: manufacturer, location, and date of manufacture on product and packaging.

The testing and certification path

Testing covers costume fabric flammability (the classic Halloween failure), makeup and face-paint formulations (a real heavy-metal and skin-safety history), small parts on novelty items, and lead in painted accessories. August–September is when enforcement waves and seller panic peak — the certificate should exist before the season.

Book testing at a laboratory that is CPSC-accepted for each rule, issue the CPC in your own name citing the rules your report supports, and keep the certificate with its test report for at least five years. Marketplaces ask for the pair, not the certificate alone.

Questions people ask

Do costume fabrics need special flammability testing?

Yes: costumes are a documented flammability failure category — thin polyester capes and gowns are the classic case. Test the exact costume fabric, not a sample of “similar” material.

Is Halloween makeup regulated like toys?

The makeup is a cosmetic with its own FDA requirements, and as part of a children’s product it also draws heavy-metal screening. Both files should exist before you ship.

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