Accessory brand Claire’s has refuted claims that its children’s make-up products contain harmful asbestos after conducting an independent investigation.
The brand was forced to pull 17 of its make-up products off the shelves after a glitter set tested supposedly tested positive for asbestos after being sent into a lab by a concerned mother.
The result was found after Barrington, Rhode Island, mother Kristi Warner sent the make-up she had purchased for her six-year-old daughter to an independent lab to be tested.
Off the shelves: Claire’s has removed 17 children’s make-up products from stores after they tested positive for asbestos
Bad news: The results came from an independent lab that had been sent the products by a concerned Rhode Island mother
After receiving the news, Warner and her boss John Deaton then decided to purchase other products from Claire’s at various locations, sending them all in to Scientific Analytical Institute for their own tests.
Those tests also suggested that the products contained the harmful substance, which is associated with malignant mesothelioma.
The brand responded to the concern quickly, writing online that ‘As a result of today’s inquiry from WJAR-TV, we have taken the precautionary measure of pulling the items in question from sale, and will be conducting an immediate investigation into the alleged issues.’
Now, almost two weeks after the initial firestorm over the results, Claire’s has completed its investigation and released a statement reporting the results.
‘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,’ the statement said.
Top to bottom: The make-up products being pulled from sale include glitter sets, eye shadow and lip gloss
Quick response: Upon learning the news, the brand immediately pulled the products, promising to conduct its own investigation
‘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.’
The brand went on to slam Sean Fitzgerald, the Director of Research and Analytical Services for Scientific Analytical Institute, saying that the company had repeatedly asked for details of his tests, but they were never provided.
The independent laboratory and its director Fitzgerald were previously in the news earlier this year when they claimed to have discovered asbestos in Justice make-up products.
Justice went on to conduct its own investigation and said there was no such substance in the products, leading to similar accusations of inaccuracy leveled at the lab.
Despite Claire’s investigation, Fitzgerald has stood by the results, suggesting to CNBC on Thursday that the independent labs used by the brand might not be up to high standards in testing.