Published on June 26, 2019
This month the mall retailer Claire’s was forced to voluntarily recall a makeup kit marketed to pre-teens and teenagers after Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests showed the presence of asbestos. The product, Claire’s JoJo Siwa’s Tween Makeup Set, is the subject of a June 6, 2019 Safety Alert by the FDA. This was the second recall of makeup products containing asbestos by Claire’s in the last three months.
The FDA recommends on its website that consumers who have this batch of Claire’s JoJo Siwa Tween Makeup Set should stop using the products, and the company said it will issue refunds to consumers. The specific lot affected is:
- Claire’s JoJo Siwa Makeup Set, SKU #888711136337, Batch/Lot No. S180109
In the same statement, the Food and Drug Administration also recalled products from Beauty Plus Global, a Chinese company. The specific product of theirs recalled was Beauty Plus Global Contour Effects Palette 2, Batch No. S1603002/PD-C1179.
Claire’s History of Asbestos-Tainted Product Recalls
Claire’s products have been scrutinized since 2017 when a Rhode Island mom had her daughter’s makeup from Claire’s tested and was shocked to find that it contained asbestos. In all Claire’s issued recalls on nine (9) of its products at that time:
- Ultimate Mega Make Up Set, code 71844.
- Metallic Hot Pink Glitter 48-Piece Makeup Set, code 76094.
- Pink Glitter Cellphone Makeup Compact, code 26556.
- Bedazzled Rainbow Heart Makeup Set, code 11767.
- Rainbow Bedazzled Star Make Up Set, code 20926.
- Rainbow Glitter Heart Shaped Makeup Set, code 97275.
- Mint Glitter Make Up Set, code 74769.
- Rainbow Bedazzled Rectangle Make Up Set, code 21044.
- Pink Glitter Palette with Eyeshadow & Lip Gloss, code 97276.
In March of this year, Claire’s recalled another three makeup products after FDA testing found that the products were contaminated with tremolite asbestos. Tremolite, an amphibole form of asbestos, is often present in talc, an ingredient often used in cosmetics.
The lots recalled for containing asbestos in March 2019 were:
- 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
When the first recall occurred in 2017, Claire’s disputed the validity of the asbestos tests performed by the independent testing agencies, Scientific Analytical Institute (SAI) and STAT Analysis Corporation (STAT). Despite this, in March of this year Claire’s issued a statement stating that it has switched to talc-free manufacturing for all its products.
Talc and Health
Talc has been implicated in the development of cancer. Both ovarian cancer and mesothelioma are associated with the use of cosmetic talc. Mesothelioma, a cancer that is only caused by asbestos, is probably caused by the asbestos contaminant in talc. Exposure to cosmetic talc is associated with ovarian cancer, although scientists are not exactly sure of how it causes cancer. To read more on talc and cancer, click here.
What Can You Do?
You must check your children’s makeup products for the presence of talc. Talc may be described on a label as talc, talcum powder, magnesium silicate, or cosmetic talc. The FDA does not have pre-market review authority and cannot enforce any recall over cosmetics. Unfortunately, because of this regulatory gap, there is no federal agency with primary responsibility for regulating asbestos or talc in makeup. If you or a loved one was diagnosed with mesothelioma or ovarian cancer after using talc powder, call the talcum powder lawyers at Thornton Law Firm 1-888-491-9726 for a free, no-obligation consultation. Or tell us your story online here.
