A Claire's representative followed up with our Scripps affiliate TMJ 4 in Milwaukee after it sought comment regarding reports its children's makeup kits tested positive for asbestos.
In a statement, a Claire's spokesperson said that reports that its make-up kits contained asbestos are false, based on test results the company received.
Claire's released the following statement on Thursday:
We are pleased to report that test results received to date from two certified independent labs confirm that the products in question are asbestos free, completely safe and meet all government requirements. As we said previously, we also confirmed that the talc ingredient that is used in the cosmetics was sourced from Merck KGaA and is asbestos free. Any report that suggests that the products are not safe is totally false.
We have shared with Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the certificates of analysis provided by Merck, and plan to share with those agencies the results of the testing being conducted by the independent labs.
Furthermore, we dispute the findings and testing methods of Sean Fitzgerald, the Director of Research and Analytical Services for Scientific Analytical Institute (SAI), which was asked to do the testing by a personal injury law firm. We only learned of the claims after they went to the press. We have made multiple requests for Mr. Fitzgerald’s detailed test data, but it has not been provided to us. Mr. Fitzgerald also went to the press in July with claims that testing of cosmetics from Justice showed evidence of asbestos, which Justice refuted after analysis of a third-party ISO-certified testing lab.
Claire’s® is one of the world’s leading specialty retailers of fashionable jewelry and accessories for young women, teens, tweens and kids and we pride ourselves in providing our customers with quality products that we stand by. Our paramount concern is the safety of our customers and we apologize for any distress these false reports may have caused. We thank customers for being patient with us as we sought the truth in this matter. We will continue to honor returns from any customers remaining uncomfortable.
UPDATE (DEC. 29, 2017)
A Claire's representative responded to the E.W. Scripps Company's TMJ4 television station after it sought comment regarding reports its children's makeup kits tested positive for asbestos.
"The initial results of testing by an independent certified laboratory show that the cosmetics tested to date are asbestos free," said Anna Jarema on behalf of the Claire's Press Offce. "Out of an abundance of caution, additional testing is underway. We have also confirmed that the talcum ingredient supply is from a certified asbestos free European vendor.
"We will continue to honor returns for any customers remaining uncomfortable," Jarema said.
EARLIER STORY (DEC. 24, 2017)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Popular children's retailer Claire's has pulled several make-up kits from their shelves after a report claiming kits from several different cities tested positive for asbestos.
The company posted a statement on their Twitter account Saturday afternoon, saying they would be pulling the products as a “precautionary measure” while they conduct their own investigation into the claims.
“At Claire’s the safety of our customers is of paramount importance, and we are passionate about the safety and integrity of our products,” the company’s statement read. “We work closely with our vendors to ensure our products are tested and assessed in line with the relevant country regulations and guidelines.”
The company’s decision to pull product comes after WJAR-TV in Rhode Island broke a story on Friday, claiming a mother had sent her daughter’s product off to a private lab to be tested and it came back positive for tremolite asbestos, which is a toxic, cancer-causing material.
— Claire's (@claires) December 23, 2017
The make-up in question was purchased at a Rhode Island mall, but after the initial test came back the woman told WJAR that her law firm purchased kits from 9 different states, which also came back positive for asbestos.
Exposure to asbestos has been linked to mesothelioma, which is fatal.
While Claire’s is pulling these items from store shelves, it is important to make sure that you don’t already have them under your tree this Christmas.
The impacted products include:
- Aqua Glitter Kit
- Jeweled Heart Kit
- Pink Flip Phone Kit
- Pink Jeweled Star Kit
- Pink Jeweled Rectangle Kit
- Pink Jeweled Heart Kit
- Pink Glitter
- Shiny Black Plastic Makeup Kit with Handle
- Pink Glittery Makeup Kit with Fold Closure
- Claire’s Eyeshadow Palette
- Pink Sparkly Heart Kit
Claire's has not placed an official "recall" on the impacted products but has pulled all remaining product from their store shelves at this time.
Claire’s is not the first store to pull children’s makeup over asbestos concerns. Back in July, Justice for Girls pulled one of their products after a North Carolina TV station claimed tests came back positive for asbestos in at least one of their products. Justice later denied the claims, saying all of their tests came back safe.