Asbestos found in popular makeup products

Think your makeup is safe? Not sure what all the fuss about ‘going natural’ is?  

Claire’s fashion brand, well known for their kids and teens makeup products which are sold across the US & also stocked in Dutch stores, is reportedly filing for bankruptcy after asbestos-contaminated talc was recently discovered in 17 of their products.

The saga began in December 2017 after lab tests conducted by Scientific Analytical Institute (SAI) found asbestos-contaminated talc in 17 cosmetic products acquired from Claire’s stores across the US. Claire’s issued a recall of 9 of the products at the time, whilst also rejecting the SAI’s reports and reassuring consumers that their products were safe for use. Second round testing on the remaining products on the shelves however, still showed low levels of the dangerous contaminated talc in compact powders and contouring powders available in eight different shades. These products have since been removed from Dutch stores.

So what is talc & why is it used in makeup anyway?

Talc, the softest mineral on earth, is most widely used in talcum powder in cosmetics and personal care products.  Talcum powder is highly valued in these products for its ability to absorb moisture from the skin and provide lubrication at the same time…. Sounds like every makeup junkies dream right? Wrong!

Although people have used talcum powder products for these reasons for more than a century, it has been discovered that talc can naturally contain asbestos fibres, that can be deadly. Asbestos is a mineral that can naturally form within talc. It is a known carcinogen with a direct link to the deadly lung cancer mesothelioma. Talc containing asbestos has long been banned for use in cosmetics in many countries around the world, but has made recent headlines with the discovery in the Claire’s products. A number of landmark multimillion-dollar lawsuits against makeup giants including Johnson & Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive have also made recent headlines.

At Nourished we will not stock any product containing talc. Instead our beautiful natural makeup products use safe alternatives like mica, rice starch & cornstarch. Equally as effective without the health risks. We recommend using this recent finding to give your makeup cupboard a spring clean & ditch the talc!

Explore the range of safe compact powders & contouring products. 

More reading:

https://nos.nl/artikel/2224661-inspectie-vindt-asbest-in-make-up-van-claire-s.html

https://eenvandaag.avrotros.nl/item/asbest-ontdekt-in-kindermake-up-van-claires/