The much-loved tween retail chain, Justice, says reports of asbestos in a popular make-up item carried at the store are simply not true.
Late yesterday afternoon, the chain issued a statement in regards to the report first aired by an investigative team from a television station in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The team claimed that they had sent several Justice-sold make-up items to independent labs to determine what was in the make-up that wasn’t listed as an ingredient on the packaging.
They reportedly found asbestos particles in Just Shine Shimmer Powder.
The statement from the retailer read as follows:
“We have an update on the Just Shine Shimmer Powder product: A third-party ISO-certified testing lab concluded there is NO asbestos in our Just Shine Shimmer Powder.”
“Reports suggesting that the product contains asbestos are simply inaccurate. As part of our investigation and out of abundance of caution, we found it necessary to quickly provide answers to our customers about the product.”
The statement then encouraged concerned consumers to call the company’s Customer Service department should they have any further questions.
The company did indeed pull the item off the shelves at all of their retail locations last week until answers as to the truth of the story were determined.
“Justice has a long and strong history of concern for the health and safety of our girls,” read a social media post from the company. “We are deeply committed to the safety and integrity of our products.”
The investigation completed by WTVD-TV involved the testing of eight products designed specifically for use by kids and teens, with the goal of identifying any “hidden” ingredients that aren’t listed on each product’s label.
Allegedly, the Just Shine Shimmer Powder was the only one that tested positive for asbestos.
Asbestos in make-up products isn’t a new story. Decades ago, many make-up powders would have tested positive. This is because the mineral talc has often been found to contain asbestos particles and talc is a primary ingredient in many different types of make-up.
These days, laws about testing talc before its use in manufacturing have reduced contamination exponentially.
There is no word as to a response from WTVD’s I-team investigators. There is also no indication as to how much money was lost when the products were pulled, whether the company will continue selling the product, and whether Justice will file charges against the station for the misinformed story.