When your little girl wears asbestos eye shadow | Editorial

Photo by Claire's. A number of its makeup products were recalled over asbestos fears.

Most people who buy makeup - including the glittery stuff marketed to kids - assume that it's safe and regulated by the government.
 
Far from it. Believe it or not, there is virtually no regulation of cosmetics in this country. Our government doesn't even have the power to mandate a recall. Your daughter may be painting her face with poison right now.
 
Asbestos was recently found in tween makeup kits sold at mall meccas like Claire's. And in 2014, just three uses of a hair conditioner marketed as extra gentle by celebrities like Brooke Shields made a 9-year-old girl go bald.

The government can't ensure your cosmetics are safe, so they have a plan
 
The almond mint and lavender-scented Wen hair care line was the subject of tens of thousands of complaints before the Food and Drug Administration found out about it. But it's still being sold, because the FDA - the agency that oversees cosmetics - doesn't have the power to force it off the shelves.
 
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) and a few other lawmakers have sensible legislation that would fix this, supported by big cosmetics companies that want to inspire more consumer confidence. But so far it's gone nowhere, opposed by lobbyists for smaller brands.
 
In the meantime, our government can force a recall of hummus for listeria, but not the stuff we smear on our lips or rub into our faces. Currently, the FDA can take action only if it can prove a cosmetics product was mislabeled or contaminated; not if it's dangerous but hasn't violated the law.

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And cosmetics companies aren't required to tell the FDA about "adverse" effects; not even a fatality. The government relies on customers to come forward with complaints, which is what happened with Claire's.
 
A Rhode Island mother who works for a law firm specializing in asbestos litigation sent her 6-year-old daughter's makeup kit to an independent lab, which found asbestos in 17 different Claire's products sold in nine different states. Justice retail, another tween store, admitted it also found traces of asbestos in some of its products.
 
Claire's denied finding any asbestos during re-testing, but both stores ended up doing voluntary recalls anyway. In a news conference last week outside a Claire's in Sea Girt, Pallone called on the FDA to investigate these manufacturers further, as he did with the hair products that made a little girl go bald.
 
Only 127 reports had been filed to the FDA about problems with Wen hair care, but inspectors later discovered more than 21,000 had been made to the company and distributor. Because there was no contamination or misbranding, though, there wasn't much the FDA could do about it.
 
As more cosmetics are imported from overseas, the FDA's ability to monitor them is even more limited.  Of the 2.9 million products imported, the FDA can inspect less than 1 percent. About 15 percent of those inspected have been mislabeled, or contain potential or known toxic ingredients like mercury.
 
Pallone wants to give the FDA the power to do mandatory recalls, and require manufacturers to provide it with lists of ingredients and vouch that they're safe. He would also require importers to verify their foreign suppliers are taking steps to ensure their ingredients are safe. Manufacturers would have to share any "adverse effects" with the FDA within 15 days.
 
He would finance his reforms with a fee on beauty companies, and seeks to raise about $20 million - a small price to help restore public confidence.

Until then, imagine your daughter's shimmery face powder with pink bubble letters spelling out "cancer." This, at least, would be truth in advertising.

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