Claire's Removes Makeup After Asbestos Found By Rhode Island Mom

BARRINGTON, RI—Claire's, a nationwide chain of stores selling makeup and accessories for young women and teens, is pulling a glitter makeup sold to kids after reports said asbestos had been found in the product. The company says in a statement it is pulling the affected items from the shelves but not issuing a recall at this time.

"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 said in a statement posted on their Twitter account. "We work closely with our vendors to ensure our products are tested and assessed in line with the relevant country regulations and guidelines.

"We have taken the precautionary measure of pulling them items in question from sale, and will be conducting an immediate investigation into the alleged issues."

Reports identify the affected items as:

• 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

The issue was discovered when Kristiana Warner, of Barrington, RI, discovered the substance was in her daughter's makeup.

Warner is the operations manager at Deaton Law Firm, which specializes in wrongful death cases caused by asbestos exposure.

When her 6-year-old daughter received a makeup kit as a gift, she decided to have the cosmetics tested for safety. She sent the glitter makeup kit, sold at Claire's in the Providence Place Mall, to a lab in South Carolina.

The tests showed the product contained "toxic tremolite asbestos – a mineral that has caused thousands of deaths in the United States since the early 1920s and is commonly recognized as a cancer-causing agent," according to a press release from Newberry Public Relations & Marketing, Inc., in East Providence.

Warner also took the information to her boss, John Deaton. He contacted Claire's.

However, Deaton and Warner want to spread the word in case any family purchased the product. He also hopes the information will lead to stricter government regulations.

If you bought it or your child receives it as a gift, you should return it to the store.

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