Claire's Says Lab Tests Prove Cosmetics Are Asbestos-Free

BARRINGTON, RI— Claire's, a nationwide chain of stores selling makeup and accessories for young women and teens, is firing back after a Barrington, Rhode Island mom last month reported asbestos had been found in the glitter makeup and other products. Although the company initially pulled all the suspected products from store shelves, it's now saying "any report that suggests that the products are not safe is totally false." The company said Thursday two independent labs have tested all the makeup sold to kids and concluded "the products in question are asbestos free, completely safe and meet all government requirements."

The issue made the news when Kristiana Warner, of Barrington, discovered asbestos was in her daughter's makeup. Warner works for East Providence's Deaton Law Firm, which specializes in asbestos lawsuits. She said she sent the makeup to a lab because she is aware of the dangers from asbestos exposure.

But Claire's is questioning the expertise of the lab director who found asbestos in the products.

"Furthermore, we dispute the findings and testing methods of Sean Fitzgerald, the Director of Research and Analytical Services for Scientific Analytical Institute (SAI), which was asked to do the testing by a personal injury law firm," the company indicated on its webpage. "We only learned of the claims after they went to the press. We have made multiple requests for Mr. Fitzgerald’s detailed test data, but it has not been provided to us. Mr. Fitzgerald also went to the press in July with claims that testing of cosmetics from Justice showed evidence of asbestos, which Justice refuted after analysis of a third-party ISO-certified testing lab."

But Attorney John Deaton on Friday said that's not true. He did contact Claire's before he went to the media with the findings. He characterized the company's statements as "self-serving conclusions" and said Claire's statement was not transparent. The company did not say which products were tested, "which lab tested them and most importantly, the methodology used to perform the analysis. Although he initially thought the company "would do the right thing," Deaton now believes legal action may be in order.

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