NATIONWIDE — The FDA is warning that some makeup sold at popular girls accessory store Claire's could contain asbestos, a known carcinogen, and is advising against their use.
The Food and Drug Administration tweeted a safety alert advising against using three types of Claire's cosmetic products:
- Claire’s Eye Shadows — Batch No/Lot No: 08/17
- Claire’s Compact Powder — Batch No/Lot No: 07/15
- Claire’s Contour Palette — Batch No/Lot No: 04/17
The FDA says they may be contaminated with tremolite asbestos.
The FDA started conducting tests for asbestos in products sold at retail stores Claire's and Justice in 2017.
Justice quickly recalled its products. Claire's removed the products in question from store shelves but did not issue a recall.
This week, the FDA came out with the results of a new round of tests confirming that the products could contain asbestos fibers.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is often found with talc, another natural mineral. Talc is included in many cosmetics products. But asbestos is a known carcinogen. During the mining process for talc, if the ore is not purified sufficiently, some asbestos could contaminate the talc.
Claire's disputes the advisory from the FDA and is refusing to issue a recall.
"There is no evidence that any products sold by Claire's are unsafe," the company stated on its website. It says the recent test results from the FDA are erroneous.
Federal officials are not aware of any adverse reactions from using the makeup.
Anyone who needs to report adverse events should go to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting page and click on the "Report a Problem" button. You can also download download a printable form and fax it to 1-800-FDA-0178.