Parent warns: Asbestos found in her child's cosmetics

A Barrington mom is hoping other parents think twice before allowing their children to put on makeup.

Kristiana Warner recently discovered that some of the makeup in her six-year-old daughter's cosmetics kit tested positive for asbestos.

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

One day last summer she was at home working on one of her cases, when her young daughter Mackenzie approached her holding a small plastic cosmetics kit. 

"One of my co-workers was over and we were working on a presentation about talc and Mackenzie ran over with it (the kit) in her hand and said 'Mommy, does this have asbestos in it?'" said Ms. Warner. "She hears me talking about this all the time."

Ms. Warner was not sure how to answer. She flipped over the package — it was made in China by the company "Claire's" — and looked for a list of ingredients. The kit was a few months old and the cardboard wrapper that listed the ingredients had already been thrown away.

"I've had my own makeup tested before," said Ms. Warner, who decided to send Mackenzie's cosmetics to a lab in North Carolina. 

"I just happened to be getting ready to send evidence down to the lab." Ms. Warner also reached out to business associates in other states and asked them to purchase cosmetics kits made by Claire's and send them to the lab for testing. 

A total of 17 kits were tested and in early December, the Scientific Analytical Institute lab in Greensboro, N.C., called Ms. Warner with some bad news: Makeup from all 17 kits, including Mackenzie's, tested positive for asbestos.

"In our testing of Claire’s products here at the Scientific Analytical Institute (SAI) in Greensboro, North Carolina, we have found tremolite asbestos in 17 different products from 9 different cities (Providence, Greensboro, Seattle, Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York City)," stated a letter from the lab.

According to the lab, asbestos was found in 24 makeup items from the 17 kits, including in eye shadows, blushes and compact powders. All the products were talc-based, stated the letter. One of the products was more than than three years old.

"This was a complete shock to us," said Ms. Warner. "We weren't prepared for this at all."

Ms. Warner reached out to Claire's representatives right away, and recently the company issued a response: "We have retained an independent laboratory to test the cited products in order to determine whether the recent news reports are accurate. In the interim we have stopped sales of the products and are issuing full refunds to concerned customers. As always, the safety of our customers and products is our top priority."

Ms. Warner said she contacted the media regarding this issue because she wants parents to think twice before allowing their children to put on makeup. 

"It's not just Claire's," she said. "It just happens to be that that's what my daughter had. I'm not targeting Claire's. I'm not saying they're bad. It's just that overall, asbestos is still a danger to our kids."

Ms. Warner said she has learned that asbestos is often found in talc products, as both are naturally occurring minerals that are found in close proximity in the earth.

"As I've been told, the asbestos run through talc like a vein," she added.

Ms. Warner said she would like to see the U.S. Food and Drug Administration take a closer look at the regulations surrounding cosmetics — both for adults and children — and further examine the testing procedures companies use. 

Ms. Warner said she has seen the deadly affect asbestos has had. Through her work at the law firm, she has met people who were diagnosed with mesothelioma — including some who have since died — after being previously exposed to asbestos. Mesothelioma is a rare but deadly form of cancer.

"When you're exposed to asbestos you have to wait 20, 30 or 40 years before you develop mesothelioma," Ms. Warner said. "Now you're exposing children, and now when they're in the prime of their life they'll have to worry if that cough or shortness of breath is a cold or are they developing a tumor?"

Ms. Warner said this recent experience with Mackenzie's makeup has been emotionally draining, but she is hoping that parents will take precautions. 

"It doesn't matter where it (the makeup) comes from. We have found it (asbestos) in high-end, expensive products," she said. "Avoid makeup if you can."

Ms. Warner has 14 additional Claire's-made products that she plans to have tested. 

"We're letting Claire's decide what the next step is," she said. "We hope they decide to be responsible about this."

Claire's responds

An email from "Claire's Press Office" offered this response to the situation:

"The initial results of testing by an independent certified laboratory show that the cosmetics tested to date are asbestos free. 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."