What’s the Real Cost of Your Child’s Halloween Costume?

Halloween is magical. Kids get to morph into dragons, fairies, superheroes, or, in many households this year, K-Pop Demon Hunters. The problem? That “$29.99 Super Deluxe Costume” from Target or Amazon isn’t just a temporary disguise. It’s the holiday version of fast fashion: the cheapest plastic in a seasonal wrapper. And while your child will move on by November 1, the costume itself will still be around for generations, because polyester unfortunately doesn’t do “disappearing act.”

A Closer Look at What Costumes Are Made Of

Most store-bought costumes are made from the cheapest virgin polyester (basically, petroleum spun into fabric) and often PVC for trims, masks, or accessories.

• Polyester does not biodegrade under real conditions and can persist for centuries [Palacios-Mateo et al., 2021].
  

• Washing synthetic fabrics is one of the biggest sources of primary microplastics in the ocean, releasing anywhere from 76–401 mg of fibres per kilogram of fabric, per wash [De Falco et al., 2019; Volgare et al., 2021].
  

• PVC and its additives, including phthalates, are linked to hormone disruption and respiratory concerns [NJ DHS, 2019; Wang et al., 2021].
  

So while your child may look like a superhero, their cape is more villain than hero for both the planet and their skin.

The Polyester Problem: It’s Just Plastic

Polyester is not a “fabric” in the traditional sense. It’s oil. Those sparkly wings and glittery capes will never break down. Instead, they sit in landfills alongside fast-fashion castoffs, shedding microfibres into soil and waterways. If you’ve ever wondered how Shein and Temu manage to pump out $5 clothes, Halloween costumes follow the same logic, only faster and cheaper.

👉 Related read: Why is polyester clothing bad?

The Issue with PVC and Phthalates

PVC, commonly found in shiny trims, masks, and costume accessories, is often softened with phthalates. These chemicals have been associated with health risks in children, from developmental to endocrine effects [Wang et al., 2021]. Some Halloween products tested in recent years have even turned up lead and cadmium traces in cheap plastic accessories [The Guardian, 2024].

The Lifecycle of a “One-Wear-Wonder” and the Environmental Impact of Halloween

The average Halloween costume is designed for a single night: one sugar high, one photo op, and one trip to the trash.

• A UK study with the Fairyland Trust found that 83% of costumes were made from oil-based plastics, generating 2,079 tonnes of plastic waste in a single Halloween season. Equal to 83 million plastic bottles [Fairyland Trust, 2019].
  

• Nearly 7 million costumes are thrown away each year in the UK alone [Hubbub, 2019].
  

• In the U.S., estimates suggest 35 million costumes head to landfills annually [CBS SF Bay Area, 2024].
  

• Surveys show 4 in 10 costumes are only worn once [U.S. PIRG, 2024].
  

This is fashion’s fastest cycle: made in factories (often under the worst of the worst labor conditions), shipped across oceans, worn once, and discarded. A longer trip than most of us take all year, for one night of trick-or-treating.

Beyond the Bin: Why It Matters

Disposable costumes replicate everything parents already dislike about fast fashion:

• Cheap, synthetic materials that don’t last.
  

• Questionable labor practices behind the low price tag.
  

• Environmental cost disguised by fun packaging.
  

It’s not just clutter in your closet; it’s a system designed to treat clothes as disposable, with kids’ health and the planet as afterthoughts.

A Better Way: Celebrating Without the Waste

Here’s the part that matters: you don’t have to choose between a fun Halloween and a sustainable one. You just have to ditch the idea that costumes are single-use.

At Treehouse, we design GOTS-certified organic cotton and OEKO-TEX certified linen essentials that kids live in every day, and yes, they double beautifully as costume bases.

• Linen Tassel Pants + Sand Birch Shirt → Straw Man / Scarecrow (add patches with fabric scraps, a floppy hat, and face paint stitches).
  

• Oak Henley Tee in Canyon Clay + Willow Shorts → Mini Indiana Jones / Explorer (cardboard binoculars, a belt with a pouch).
  

• Willow Tee + Oak Pants in Naval → Sailor / Fisherman (paper boat hat, a toy fishing rod).
  

• Organic Cotton Pajamas → Mummy (wrap gauze or old fabric strips loosely over).
  

• Ribbed Tank + Boxers → Boxer / Wrestler (cardboard “championship belt,” socks pulled high).

Linen Oak Pant in Tassel

Linen Birch Shirt in Sand

Organic Cotton Oak Henley Tee in Canyon Clay

Organic Cotton Willow Short in Canyon Clay

Organic Cotton Willow Tee in Ripe Olive

Organic Cotton Willow Tee in Tassel

Organic Cotton Oak Pant in Naval

Organic Cotton Long-Sleeve Pajamas | Solid Green

Organic Cotton Long-Sleeve Pajamas | Flowers

Organic Cotton Long-Sleeve Pajamas | Space Cats

Organic Cotton Tank, 2-Pack | Space Cat + Solid Blue

Organic Cotton Tank, 2-Pack | Dinosaur + Solid Green

Organic Cotton Tank, 2-Pack | Rainbow + Striped

Organic Cotton Boys' Boxer Briefs Multi-pack | 5 colors