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Teen Cosmetics Tested Positive for Asbestos

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Danny Katz of U.S. PIRG, a consumer advocate group, says after testing over a dozen products at the American accessories chain Claire’s, the group found that teen cosmetics tested positive for asbestos in three of the samples. In The Netherlands, Dutch health and safety authorities also found asbestos in two types of Claire’s cosmetics for young girls – a face powder and a contouring powder. Dutch authorities pulled the products from the shelves.

Katz elaborated by saying that it is unacceptable to have asbestos in these products. Asbestos, when inhaled, can lead to lung cancer and even to mesothelioma. “We need Claire’s to remove these products from the shelves and we need them to figure out how asbestos got in their products to begin with. We need Congress and the FDA to take action. We need to ban asbestos from beauty care products and makeup.”

Not the first time

Late in 2017 there were similar allegations concerning Claire’s carrying cosmetics containing asbestos in their stores. If they sell asbestos-containing products, many thousands of people could be exposed. The chain has 7,500 locations in 45 countries with approximately 17,000 employees.

Claire’s reply

In the current tests and in 2017, the Claire’s chain contracted additional testing facilities, which found no asbestos in the products cited. Claire’s maintains that the testing by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) is outdated and inaccurate.

“At Claire’s, customer safety is of paramount concern, and we pride ourselves in providing our customers with quality products that we stand by, so we wish to address a recent report that cosmetics sold by Claire’s may contain asbestos. We want to assure our customers that all of our products are safe and asbestos-free.”

“In addition, testing of more than 85 samples using the most up to date test methods has been conducted by independent laboratories both in the USA and Europe. In addition, several cosmetic products sold by Claire’s have been tested by Health Canada and the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT). This extensive testing conducted by four separate laboratories has confirmed that these cosmetics products do not contain asbestos. In addition, all our powder-based cosmetics use the same base formulation, utilizing Merck certified asbestos-free talc, which is the same talc used in other well-known cosmetic brands.”

U.S. PIRG reply

“Claire’s incorrectly claims that our testing methods are unsound. Its accusations are misinformed at best, and seem to be designed to distract from the bottom-line: that Claire’s is selling makeup that contains asbestos to preteens. Claire’s has previously claimed that its products are free of asbestos, despite evidence to the contrary. While we have been transparent about our testing methods and results, Claire’s does not provide its own test results, or explain its own testing methodology. On balance, it is clear that Claire’s is trying to confuse the facts.”

“Our lab is accredited by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology NVLAP program. The FDA used a lab on this accredited list for their cosmetics testing for asbestos (AMA Analytical Services) and we used another lab on the list, STAT Analysis Corporation.”

“When Claire’s was previously accused of selling makeup contaminated with asbestos, it pulled the products from the shelves. Based on our new test results, it should do the same now.”

What now?

The Dutch NVWA (health and safety group) did not withdraw products in 2017 because of assurances by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that there was nothing wrong with the products cited. The products in the current tests were removed in The Netherlands as the Dutch inspectors found 2% to 5% asbestos in the face powder and .1% to 2% in the contouring powder. All products containing asbestos are banned in The Netherlands, and 55 other countries, because of the danger to health. The United States has not fully banned asbestos.

Claire’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for its US stores in March 2018 but is not planning to close any US locations.

Effects of Cosmetics are More than Skin Deep

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In the 16th century, a Swiss physician and philosopher, Paracelsus, stated that any substance applied to or in the body can cause harm, given the right circumstances. In other words, “the dose makes the poison.” This is true especially with the wide range of chemicals, nano particles, asbestos contaminated talc, and other substances used in the manufacture of cosmetics.

Revenue from cosmetics is projected at $265 billion worldwide in 2017 for an industry that has potential for harm, but very little oversight. The FDA has an office of Cosmetics and Colors within their Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Yet, that group is seriously underfunded with a $13 million budget for fiscal year 2017 and has a very limited scope of authority.

Except for color additives, there is no legal requirement for pre-market approval of new products. There is no regulatory group that checks the safety or effectiveness of cosmetic products. In addition, there is no legal requirement for the cosmetic industry to collect or report adverse issues.

What ingredients could be harmful?

Dr. Robert M. Califf, former commissioner of the FDA, along with two other experts said, “For products that are used routinely, small effects over time within large populations can be almost impossible to detect without active surveillance. Even when health risks are substantial, as with tobacco products, the path to identifying and interpreting those safety signals clearly enough to justify regulatory action is often long and tortuous.”

However, that long scientific road has already been traveled with respect to asbestos – still an ingredient in some modern cosmetics. Decades of medical and scientific research long ago reached a consensus that asbestos is a human carcinogen. Yet, a recent investigation revealed asbestos contaminated cosmetics still being sold at a national retail chain that markets to teens. The retailer has since pulled the contaminated product from stores after one third-party found asbestos. A third-party lab hired by the retailer found none – possibly because various batches can contain different constituents. The message is that some asbestos, and other harmful ingredients, can find their way into these non-regulated cosmetics.

More about talc

Talc, a common cosmetics ingredient, is a mineral often mined in close proximity with asbestos and can be contaminated with asbestos. However, due in part to heavy lobbying in the 1970s and 80s, lax regulations allowed asbestos contaminated talc to still be utilized in cosmetics.

Are your cosmetics safe?

If you believe you have been harmed by a cosmetic, report the problem to the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition’s Adverse Event Reporting System (CFSAN) an FDA database for foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. When they notice a number of similar reports, they can investigate. This database is also open to the public, so is available to search for adverse health events from your current cosmetics. Unlike foods, there is little ingredient information on cosmetic packaging. Even when there is, dangerous chemicals can be disguised by using scientific names. This makes knowing exactly what you’re using difficult, but there are a few sites such as www.ewg.org with information on a limited number of products.

New legislation

Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Susan Collins, R-Maine recently introduced legislation creating a mandatory registration of products and facilities. The bill would also increase FDA funding using industry fees, and give other tools to the FDA as protection from risks of personal care products. Making your congressional representatives aware of your support of this bill could help give consumers visibility to dangers.

Meanwhile, check websites for your cosmetics for possible ingredient lists. If no ingredients are shown, email or call the company for more information. If enough people let these companies know that we care about what is put on our bodies, perhaps there will be more effort to using clean ingredients in their products.