According to Deco, some children’s face paints were being sold without a list of ingredients on the packaging while others contained ingredients that are not recommended for health.
Deco said it would be reporting the products to the Medication Authority.
The consumer rights watchdog said, from a sample of nine different face-painting products, all comprised ingredients that could be harmful to health or disrespected packaging rules.
During visits to shops between 10 and 13 February, Deco found that a compulsory list of ingredients which is required on such products, as they could contain chemicals that can cause allergic reactions and irritation to more sensitive skin, was not found on some packages.
“There is not much variety, namely in supermarkets. The research was not exhaustive but we gathered a sample of nine products that did not comply with our requisites, for containing ingredients suspected of causing illnesses.
“On top of that, three of the nine samples did not include an ingredients list, which is against the law”, Deco said in a statement.
The watchdog said it will be reporting the cases to the national medication authority Infarmed.
Meanwhile, children and adults across the country will be finalising their costumes as Portugal prepares to burst into party mode with Carnival.
While the actual carnival holiday falls next Tuesday, celebrations and parades will be held from north to south over the coming days.
The Loulé carnival, Portugal’s oldest and perhaps most famous carnival, is in the final stages of preparation before its colourful parade takes to the city’s streets from 3pm on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.
As long as the weather forecast holds out, Loulé Mayor Vitor Aleixo expects around 100,000 people to visit the city for the
festivities.
Civil servants have had some good news after being given an extra day off to celebrate carnival.
Workers in the public sector will be allowed to take next Tuesday off to enjoy the national tradition of parades and parties. In a decree published today, the Government said even though Carnival Tuesday isn’t on the list of compulsory holidays, there is a “consolidated tradition” in Portugal of organising festivities over this period.