FDA finds asbestos in makeup at Claire's

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday warned consumers not to use certain cosmetic products sold by Claire's after they were found to contain asbestos, a known carcinogen.

Samples of Claire's eye shadows batch no./lot no. 08/17, compact powder batch no./lot no. 07/15 and contour palette batch no./lot no. 04/17 all tested positive for tremolite asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral often found in the earth near talc, an ingredient in many makeup products. Talc can become contaminated with asbestos while being mined, according to the FDA.

"Consumers who have these batches/lots of Claire's Eye Shadow, Compact Powder, and Contour in their home should stop using them," the FDA said in an alert posted on its website Tuesday. "Claire's has informed us that it does not believe that affected products are still available for sale."

The FDA said it's not aware of any adverse reactions associated with exposure to the three products.

Claire's, an American retailer with stores around the world that sell jewelry, accessories and cosmetics aimed at girls and young women, said it has removed the three items from shelves as well as any remaining talc-based products "out of an abundance of caution." The company, which operates under the Claire's and Icing brands, also said it will honor returns of any talc-based Claire's brand cosmetics.

However, Claire's disputed the FDA tests.

"There is no evidence that any products sold by Claire's are unsafe," the company said in a statement Tuesday. "The recent test results the FDA have shared with us 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. Despite our efforts to discuss these issues with the FDA, they insisted on moving forward with their release. We are disappointed that the FDA has taken this step, and we will continue to work with them to demonstrate the safety of our products."

The retail chain emerged from bankruptcy in October after filing in March last year.