THE WHAT? Tests undertaken by The Scientific Analytical Institute in Greensboro, North Carolina discovered asbestos-contaminated talc within two eyeshadow palettes being sold via both eBay and Amazon. 

THE DETAILS The institute found asbestos fibers in 40 percent of the shades in the Jmkcoz 120 Colors Eyeshadow Palette, as well as asbestos traces in 20 percent of the shades tested in the Beauty Glazed Gorgeous Me Eye Shadow Tray Palette.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) in Washington, D.C., commissioned the testing as part of a wider assessment on the safety of children’s products and released the results to the public. 

Tasha Stoiber, a senior scientist at EWG, said, “We urge anyone who has purchased either of these products for themselves, family or friends to take necessary steps to ensure they are no longer being used.
“And we call on these companies and online retailers to immediately pull both of these products from their respective websites.”

THE WHY? The latest findings are said to be an example of a growing number of talc-based cosmetics contaminated with asbestos – with the ingestion of the carcinogenic said to cause long-term health problems such as malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer and ovarian cancer.