The FDA is warning parents not to buy Claire’s makeup products, which they say contain asbestos. According to a safety alert issued Tuesday, the cosmetics tested positive for the dangerous substance, which is known to increase the risk of cancer.
The tests were conducted after concerns about asbestos in their makeup forced Claire’s and tween retailer Justice to issue a massive recall in 2017. Because the 2017 tests were done by a third-party laboratory, the FDA, who does not have the authority to recall cosmetics products, ran its own tests to confirm the findings.
“After Claire’s withdrew and Justice recalled suspect products from the market, the FDA began the process of conducting independent tests to determine if some of these products did, in fact, contain asbestos,” the agency wrote in its report. “Those tests confirmed the presence of asbestos in three of the product samples collected from Claire’s.”
The three products found to contain asbestos are Claire’s Eye Shadows (Batch No/Lot No: 08/17), Claire’s Compact Powder (Batch No/Lot No: 07/15), and Claire’s Contour Palette (Batch No/Lot No: 04/17).
Despite the findings, however, Claire’s has yet to issue a recall. The FDA’s statement notes, “Claire’s has refused to comply with the FDA’s request, and the agency does not have authority to mandate a recall. The FDA is, therefore, warning consumers not to use these products and will continue to communicate our safety concerns about them.”
Claire’s has since responded. And while they said that the three products in question have been removed from stores, they’re denying the presence of asbestos in their products, claiming that the FDA’s tests are invalid.
“There is no evidence that any products sold by Claire’s are unsafe,” the company wrote in a tweet on Wednesday. “The recent test results the FDA have shared with us show significant errors… We are disappointed that the FDA has taken this step, and we will continue to work with them to demonstrate the safety of our products.”
At Claire’s, customer safety is paramount, and we pride ourselves on providing our customers with the highest quality and safest products. We wish to address today's FDA warning that three cosmetic items sold by Claire’s may have been contaminated with asbestos. pic.twitter.com/tpNfLRtNIK
— Claire's (@claires) March 6, 2019
