CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A family says their 3-year-old daughter suffered a severe allergic reaction to a child's makeup kit sold at a North Carolina-based Family Dollar.
Turns out, federal regulations are shockingly lax when it comes to cosmetics.
Lydia Cravens’ parents posted about the scare on Facebook, the post quickly getting more than 100,000 shares.
“[Please] be aware of what you are letting your babies have,” the post said. “[Especially] kids cosmetics.”
Lydia’s case shines a light on a much bigger issue. Current cosmetic safety law is over 75 years old and does not give the FDA legal authority to approve or even test cosmetics before they hit the market.
Experts say children are especially vulnerable to the effects of chemicals commonly used in makeup products.
“You just assume a children’s products would be safe,” said Kristi Warner, who mailed her daughter’s Claire's glitter makeup kit to a lab in North Carolina.
Warner said it came back positive for several common allergens and tremolite asbestos, a toxic cancer causing material.
“I physically sank,” Warner said, “Just trying to wrap my head around how something like that could end up in our home.”
Claire’s recalled some of those products but later denied claims that their products contain asbestos.
But in the past few months, proposed legislation and a number of petitions have been filed, urging Congress to update laws and allow the FDA to regulate cosmetics and create an agency specifically tasked with testing children’s products.
WCNC Charlotte did reach out several times to Family Dollar and the company that makes this specific make up kit, but neither corporations have responded.