The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning customers to beware of certain makeup products sold at Claire's, after tests found asbestos in the products.
The CDC explains that asbestos is a group of minerals that were once regularly used in commercial products, but which are also known to cause health conditions like cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.
Tests found traces of asbestos in samples of the following products sold at Claire's:
- Claire's eyeshadow lot number 08/17
- Compact powder lot number 07/15
- Contour palette lot number 04/17
#WARNING: FDA is advising consumers NOT to use certain @claires eye shadows, compact powder, & contour powder products because they may be contaminated w/ #asbestos fibers. If you have these cosmetics in your home - stop using them. https://t.co/CqtxENLZye pic.twitter.com/GTYdnWzKva
— FDA Cosmetics (@FDACosmetics) March 5, 2019
All three products tested positive for tremolite asbestos, which is often found near another mineral called talc that is commonly used in makeup.
"Consumers who have these batches/lots of Claire's Eye Shadow, Compact Powder, and Contour in their home should stop using them," the FDA's consumer alert read.
"Claire's has informed us that it does not believe that affected products are still available for sale."
In a statement, Claire's said it has removed all talc-based products from its stores, as "consumer safety is paramount." Claire's will also honor returns of any talc based cosmetics.
But the company also insists the FDA's results "show significant errors."
"Specifically, the FDA test reports have mischaracterized fibers in the products as asbestos, in direct contradiction to established EPA and USP criterion for classifying asbestos fibers," Claire's statement said.
Claire's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2018.
This week's consumer alert follows 2017 tests by news outlets that found tremolite asbestos in nine makeup products sold at Claire's and Justice stores, which lead the FDA to conduct their own tests.
Those products were voluntarily recalled following the original tests.
So far, the FDA says no reactions related to exposure to these products have been reported.
