March 6 (UPI) -- Federal regulators said tests have confirmed that potentially cancer-causing asbestos has been found in some makeup products at Claire's that are marketed to children.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday results affirmed a 2017 study that found asbestos in the products. That led to a voluntary recall of several Claire's products.
"Those tests confirmed the presence of asbestos in three of the product samples collected from Claire's and one of the product samples collected from Justice (retailers)," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a joint statement with Dr. Susan Mayne, director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
The FDA advised people against using three particular products -- Claire's Eye Shadows, Claire's Compact Powder and Claire's Contour Palette. All three tested positive for asbestos.
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Claire's has disputed the FDA findings, saying Wednesday all its products are safe to use. It added, though, that it's removed all three singled out by the FDA out of "an abundance of caution."
"There is no evidence that any products sold by Claire's are unsafe," the company said. "The recent test results the FDA have shared with us show significant errors."
Claire's said all three products identified by the FDA were tested at multiple independent labs last year and all were found to be compliant with federal safety regulations.
"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."
Claire's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy a year ago as it faced mounting debt. At the time, it sold products at more than 7,500 locations in 45 countries and employed about 17,000 people. Most of the stores, 5,300, are located in the United States.
The FDA's reported findings marked the second time in less than a month a product intended for children has been said to contain asbestos. Last month, Johnson & Johnson received federal subpoenas over reports its baby powder contains the carcinogen.
