Tracking down 100% organic and natural Halloween costumes isn’t easy. 😬
Most costumes you’ll find are made with at least some synthetic fabrics, which can be irritating for kids with sensitive skin (and, of course, add to the microplastic problem).
But remember: we’re aiming for better over perfect.
Some costume choices are safer and more eco-friendly than others. I’ve rounded up the best low-tox and organic cotton Halloween costumes I could find—whether you’re buying pre-made, going the DIY route, or mixing the two.
And because costumes are only half the fun, I’ll also share some safer picks for non-toxic Halloween makeup and face paint.
Also, if you’re also in the market for cute organic Halloween pajamas, check out this article. For organic and allergen-friendly trick-or-treat candy (and ideas for non-food alternatives), click here.
What this guide includes:
- Toxic Chemicals Found in Conventional Halloween Costumes
- Skip the PVC
- Be Waring of Heavy Metals
- Minimize the Foam
- Where to Find Organic Halloween Candy
- Where to Find Low-Tox & Organic Halloween Costumes
- Band of the Wild
- Hanna Andersson
- Great Pretenders
- Sarah’s Silks
- Etsy
- Bella Luna Toys
- Primary
- Boden
- Mini Rodini
- Or Make Your Own
- What About Non-Toxic Halloween Makeup & Face Paint?
- PVC-Free Trick-or-Treat Bags
- It’s just one night… Does having a non-toxic / organic Halloween really matter?
- Title goes here
- 🍋 Join Thousands of Subscribers Reducing Toxic Chemicals
This guide contains product recommendations and we may receive compensation if you purchase through certain links. As always, we only make recommendations that are genuine! Featured image credit: Band of the Wild
Toxic Chemicals Found in Conventional Halloween Costumes
Since it can be difficult to find completely natural/organic Halloween costumes, I recommend focusing on eliminating the worst offenders.
When it comes to non-toxic dress up clothes, accessories, and face paint/makeup, the main concerns are PVC, heavy metals, and endocrine disruptors (like phthalates).
Skip the PVC
PVC is probably the most common toxin found in Halloween costumes and accessories. A 2014 investigation from HealthyStuff.org found PVC in Halloween accessories like trick-or-treat bags, dress up shoes, and skeleton “light sticks.”
As one of the most toxic kinds of plastic, it almost always includes phthalates (which can disrupt the body’s hormones) and can also include things like lead. Not only that, but PVC contains chlorine, which creates toxic byproducts like dioxins and furans.
Although all synthetic materials come with their drawbacks, some are definitely better than others. So instead of PVC, look for polyester or nylon, which are at least “less bad” compared to PVC.
Be Waring of Heavy Metals
Another concern for Halloween costumes is heavy metals, which are most likely to be found in accessories (like play jewelry), face paint, and makeup. My recommendations for non-toxic face paint are at the bottom of this article.
One way you can avoid costumes with certain heavy metals in them is by looking for a California Prop 65 label. Prop 65 requires that products that exceed certain levels of added lead or other metals be labeled with a warning. (A Prop 65 label can also mean the product contains other chemicals too, including certain phthalates.)
Minimize the Foam
Most of the foam you’ll find in Halloween costumes is going to be polyurethane (PU) foam, which is a petroleum product that can off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like:
- 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (a carcinogen)
- hydrogen cyanide (which can cause various problems)
- methylene chloride (also a carcinogen)
- and hydrochloric acid (an irritant)
Although it may not be possible to completely eliminate foam from your child’s Halloween costume, you might choose to just try and use less of it. And/or you could look for alternatives like EVA foam, which (although still not perfect) is at least a slightly better alternative.
Where to Find Organic Halloween Candy
I actually have a separate guide for where to find organic and allergy-friendly Halloween candy (as well as other non-candy treat ideas!)—you can check that out here.
Where to Find Low-Tox & Organic Halloween Costumes
Below are my recommendations for the best low-tox Halloween costumes that are safer than the more conventional options you’ll find at the big Halloween superstores.
Note that a lot of the brands listed below use polyester for at least part of the costume, which is not ideal. But I’ve tried to include as many options for cotton Halloween costumes as possible. If you can find costumes that come with a third-party certification like OEKO-TEX, that’s good too (even if the fabric is synthetic).
Band of the Wild
Band of the Wild is one of the best options. Plus, their cotton Halloween costumes double as PJs.
They have mushrooms, bats, clowns, dragons, and more. Most of their size options range from around 18 months to 8 years.
Most of their costumes and pajamas are made out of 95% cotton plus 5% spandex, and they are all made in the USA. They also have other sustainability initiatives, including increasing their use of organic, locally-sourced, and upcycled cotton; using eco-conscious packaging; and recycling their fabric scraps.
Hanna Andersson
Hanna Andersson is a go-to brand for many parents who prefer to buy organic because they have such a wide range of clothes, pajamas, and accessories for kids.
Although not all of their clothing is organic, a lot of it is made out of GOTS and/or OEKO-TEX certified organic or conventional cotton. They have various fall and Halloween themed clothing and pajamas for babies and kids up to size 12 (like these skeleton PJs!)
When it comes to halloween costumes, Hanna Andersson sells cute little add-on sets that you can pair with organic pajamas to make an easy costume. You can turn your child’s PJs into a mermaid costume, a dragon, a bat, a lion, a pirate, a unicorn, and more.
Although most of the add-on accessories are not made out of natural/organic fabric (they’re mostly made from a mix of poly fabrics with some EVA foam), they are free from the worst materials like PVC and there’s obviously just less of the material overall, which helps too.
Great Pretenders
Great Pretenders has a TON of options for costumes and accessories, most of which are made out of polyester and nylon. They have Disney princesses, Spiderman, firefighters, Harry Potter, and more.
As the brand itself is based in Ontario, Canada, a lot of their costumes are made in Canada (although not all of them are). All of their dress-up jewelry is tested for heavy metals, and their products do meet all of the safety standards for the U.S., Canada, and the E.U.
Some of their costumes do contain a good deal of foam, but you can just not choose one of those if you prefer.
Sarah’s Silks
Sarah’s Silks is another great place to find beautiful Halloween costume accessories. These will double as non-toxic dress-up clothes for the rest of the year as well.
They have a lot of options for fairies, butterflies, princes & princesses, and things like that, but they also have other options like bat wings, animal ears/tutus (like tigers, Dalmatians, etc.).
They don’t offer entire costumes, so you’ll have to pair the capes and accessories with matching clothing to make a whole outfit.
Everything is ethically made out of natural and pesticide-free mulberry silk.
Etsy
Etsy is another great place to find Halloween costumes made out of natural, organic, and non-toxic materials. Most of the available costumes are handmade by small businesses, seamstresses, and artists (many of them parents themselves!).
Additionally, many sellers are willing to customize things if you message them and ask, which can be essential for parents of kids with sensitive skin, allergies, or other needs.
- Here are some super cute fox, mouse, and bear costumes made out of mostly GOTS certified organic cotton, which are good for kids ~1-6.
- This shop offers handmade condiment and M&M costumes made primarily out of cotton.
- This shop has a lot of mostly-cotton choices, from a race car driver to a safari outfit.
- And these butterfly wings are made out of satin and each purchase supports pollinators!
Bella Luna Toys
Bella Luna also offers various Montessori-inspired dress-up accessories, including costumes for knights, wizards, robin hoods, dragons, butterflies, and more.
They carry options from a variety of different brands, so be sure the check the fabric details on the specific product you’re looking at. Some of them are natural and others aren’t. Many of them are made by small businesses in the USA.
Primary
Primary is a colorful kids’ clothing brand that offers ethically made cotton apparel. (Most of their cotton is conventional right now, but they have started introducing some GOTS certified organic cotton into some of their products.)
They actually offer a really fun and super helpful DIY resource with tons of ideas for Halloween costumes, complete with step-by-step directions. They suggest using their colored clothing for the base of the costumes, but of course, you could totally use clothes you already own. They have TONS of ideas, from coordinated family costumes (BLT sandwich! Emojis!) to pop culture characters (Hamilton! Game of Thrones!) to classic Halloween costumes like witches and lions. So cute.
Boden
Boden carries some Halloween clothing, PJs, and accessories that are made of 100% cotton.
I mean, how cute is the 100% cotton baby pumpkin costume pictured above?
Some of their options (like this wizard cape and hat) are made of polyester, but at least the lining is cotton.
Mini Rodini
Mini Rodini doesn’t have a ton of options, but they do have a few ways to make costumes out of their clothes. For example, they’ve got this baby catsuit made primarily from organic cotton. They’ve also got organic cotton leopard print outfit options. Or you could easily make this super cute block-strip TENCEL outfit (pictured above) into a sailor’s outfit.
Or Make Your Own
When I was young, my mom made all of our Halloween costumes! It was time-consuming for her, of course, but I think she genuinely enjoyed it—and my siblings and I loved them.
If you enjoy sewing and DIY projects, then making your own Halloween costumes is one of the best ways to have more control over the materials used (while also giving your kid the costume they really want!).
You and your kids can pick out a costume pattern from a place like Michael’s (RIP Joann!) or Simplicity, and then pick out some organic cotton fabric to make the costume out of.
What About Non-Toxic Halloween Makeup & Face Paint?
The main concern with toxins in face paint involve heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, but face paint can also contain things like endocrine-disrupting parabens and other toxins.
In 2016, the Campaign for Safer Cosmetics tested a variety of kids’ Halloween makeup and play makeup from brands like Disney and Hello Kitty from stores like Claire’s, Target, and Toys R Us and found a variety of toxic chemicals.
Here are some things you can do to reduce your child’s exposure to the potential toxins in Halloween face paint:
- Just skip it! Choose a costume that doesn’t require face paint at all.
- Choose non-toxic face paint such as from Natural Earth Paint, which is free from nanoparticles, heavy metals, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, and petroleum-based dyes.
- For non-toxic kids’ makeup, check out Klee Naturals and Prim & Pure. (And you can check out more suggestions for safe makeup for kids and tweens here.)
- DIY your own face paints using an easy recipe.
PVC-Free Trick-or-Treat Bags
A lot of trick-or-treat bags and buckets out there contain PVC and endocrine disrupting chemicals like phthalates, but this is an easy one to fix. You can just use:
- a pillowcase you already have (maybe even an organic one)
- a canvas tote bag (I know you have some shoved in a closet somewhere!)
- or you can get a personalized cute one from one of these Etsy shops. (Note that these are mostly made with cotton and polyester.):
It’s just one night… Does having a non-toxic / organic Halloween really matter?
It’s a good question… If your child is only going to wear their costume for one day of the year, does it really matter what it’s made out of?
Well, that’s up to you! On one hand, I would personally put Halloween costumes much lower on the priority list compared to things like drinking filtered water or using non-toxic personal care products (things you put directly on or in yours and your child’s skin every single day).
On the other hand, if buying the least toxic products possible is important to you and you have the capacity to do so (the budget, time, energy, etc.), then why not buy a better Halloween costume this year?
After all, when toxic chemicals like phthalates and lead are so ubiquitous in our environment these days (and so much of it we don’t even have control over!), most of us want to do everything we can to reduce kids’ exposures where we can.
Plus, buying safer products is one way we can “vote with our dollars,” as they say. As more of us buy non-toxic Halloween costumes, the market will continue to see how much consumers really care about what’s in the products we buy, and then we will gradually get more options (and more affordable ones!).
Happy trick-or-treating! 👻
More Guides for a Low-Tox Fall:
