Face painting has been around for a very long time. It’s used in religious ceremonies, military camouflage, and most commonly for entertainment at parties and festivals. When you walk into a kids birthday party or a community event, you will more than likely see a face painting station set up.
As a face painter, you probably attend dozens of these types of events throughout the year. They can be a lot of fun! It’s your job to come into contact with the general public when face painting. That of course means that you are at a potential risk for a liability claim.
If something were to happen like an allergic reaction to face paints or an accidental slip and fall, you could be at serious risk financially. If you are uninsured and have to pay medical expenses or legal fees out of pocket, it could potentially put you out of business completely.
This is why it’s a smart idea to protect yourself and have face painters insurance. When looking at the right insurance coverage for your face paint business, you should consider both general liability coverage and professional liability insurance.
Read on as we discuss more about why it’s so important to have insurance, what you can do to reduce your risk, and also explain public liability insurance. With our insight below, you will have all the information you need to make the best decision for you and your business and provide the ultimate protection should an incident occur.
Do face painters need insurance?
While face painting insurance may not be required in every state, a lot of public fairs and festivals do require you to have face painting insurance if you are working at one of those events. Even if you don’t work at any fairs or festivals, it’s still highly recommended that you have face painting insurance.
Okay, so why?
You just never know how someone’s skin is going to react to the products that you use on them. Everyone’s sensitivity to ingredients and textures will be different. Sometimes people don’t even know that they are allergic to an ingredient until they come into contact with it.
If someone were to have a negative reaction, they could end up going to the hospital, which, of course means medical bills. If something like that were to happen, you want to make sure that you protect yourself, your assets, and your business.
Maybe you use top of the line products and you aren’t so worried about any allergic reactions. But what about a squirmy child? If a child were to fall off of your chair while you’re in the process of face painting, and he hurts himself, that could be a real issue. He will likely go to the doctor or the ER, which will be a costly event. And his parents may want to be reimbursed for those expenses but you since it was your chair and you were doing the face painting.
The truth is, that having face painting insurance is going to help provide you peace of mind and give you the protection that you need. It could make the difference between you having a successful business and needing to close up shop.
Once you put all the time and effort into setting up your face painting business and building a reputation and clientele, the last thing you want to do is have to shut it down because you can longer afford to keep the business running.
If someone were to file a claim against you, it could completely bankrupt you and your business. But, with liability insurance, you will be covered. That’s why so many face painters end up purchasing a face painting insurance policy.
Type of Insurance
General Liability
General Liability insurance provides protection in case there is an accident on site that causes an injury. For example, if someone were to slip and fall, it would be covered under this policy.
Professional Liability
Professional Liability insurance, also known as malpractice insurance, provides protection to you in case you were to make a mistake or an error in your work.
Cost
On average, the cost for face painting insurance will be around $100 to $200 per year. When you compare this to the out of pocket expense you could face if you were uninsured and something were to happen, the cost of insurance is much more affordable.
How to Reduce Your Risk as a Face Painter
Apart from having the right insurance policy, there are also some precautions that you should put in place as a professional face painter that can help protect you by reducing your risk for a lawsuit. While we certainly recommend purchasing a face painting insurance policy, there are several other things that you can do that will help to mitigate your risk, including using safe products, investing in a sturdy setup, and reducing your liability.
Use Safe Products
An important thing that you will want to do as a professional face painter is make sure that you are using safe products for face and body painting. This means that you want to see all the ingredients clearly listed on the label and that the face paints be from a reputable brand that routinely conducts testing of their cosmetics. And, just in case you were to have an issue, you should know what number to call should you need to reach the manufacturer of the product.
This is one of those “you get what you pay for” things. If you are just looking for the cheapest products you can find, you will likely end up purchasing low quality products that could potentially harm your customers. It’s also worth noting that a lot of the more well know makers of face paint have their own liability insurance to protect themselves in case someone were to have a reaction to their products.
Invest in a Sturdy Setup
You will want to make sure that whatever your setup looks like, it is stable. You never know what the weather will be like and you certainly don’t want your case to be knocked over by the wind, potentially causing a child or someone else to get injured from it.
If you are using a tent for shade or rain protection, you definitely want it to be secured safely to the ground so that the wind can’t pick it up and knock it over. In fact, using something heavy to weigh it down could be a good idea to keep it safe.
Another thing to think about is the type of chair you will provide for your customers. You want to make sure that it’s a chair that is sturdy and can handle weight well. You will want to avoid using a very tall chair since it would be easy for a child to fall out of and accidentally get injured.
Reduce Your Liability
Something you should consider for your face painting business is separating it from yourself. You can do this pretty easily by creating an LLC for your face painting business. By creating an LLC, you are setting up a business structure that separates you from the business, meaning that you will not be liable for the company’s debt or liabilities. It’s a great way to protect yourself. And, it’s pretty easy to set up online using a company like Zen Business.
Public Liability Insurance
Public liability insurance is a particular type of business insurance that will cover claims made by the public. Since it is a limited business insurance policy, it will likely be less expensive. However, that cheaper cost does come with its downside, including its limitations. Typically, coverage includes:
Bodily injury:If someone is injured, expenses will be covered
Property damage: If damage occurred to a third party’s property, it will be covered
Legal expenses: If you are sued and need to pay legal expenses such as attorney fees, these expenses could be covered
This coverage will apply to any incidents that occur on your business property, but not off of the property, which is something to keep in mind when considering this policy.
We should point out that public liability insurance is not as broad or comprehensive as general liability insurance, so you may be best to just consider purchasing a general liability policy as a business owner. These policies are also pretty rare in the U.S.. However, in the U.K., this type of policy is comparable to general liability.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve filled you in on the important of face painting insurance, you will be able to successfully protect you and your business so that you can focus solely on your business and not worry about any potential liabilities. While it may be an additional business expense, most people who have had a claim filed against them and been through the painstaking process of a lawsuit will agree that face painting insurance is worth it.