JoJo Siwa Speaks Out After Her Claire's Makeup Kit Was Recalled

JoJo Siwa is breaking her silence a week after the U.S. Food & Drug Administration warned consumers that her Claire's makeup kit tested positive for asbestos — the harmful fiber that's been linked to lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other pulmonary diseases. This Sunday, the YouTube star, who has nearly 10 million subscribers, shared a video titled "My Makeup" to finally address the controversy.

The 16-year-old maintained the bubbly personality that she's known for, laughing a bit at the start of her video. "I was going to start this video all serious and dramatic, but that's not who I am and that's not what this video is about," she said before admitting that this was "actually a little bit more serious" than her usual videos.

Siwa, who rose to fame on the television show Dance Moms, went on to acknowledge the situation. "Recently, it’s been brought up to my attention that there has been a problem with one of my products in Claire’s stores, with one of the JoJo makeup products,” she says. “I just want to let everyone know that, no matter what, safety is myself and Nickelodeon’s number-one priority in everything, in every JoJo product and in everything out there.”

She further explained: “This product is something that, with a lot of things, that I put my trust into other people’s hands. We are working really, really hard to make sure that this product is recalled and off all shelves." The internet star also let customers know that they will get refunded, whether the product was used or not, which Claire's also announced last week. At the end, she thanked her fans for their support during this circumstance saying, "I thank you for understanding, because it is serious to me, and it means a lot to me because it is my name, and it is my brand, and it is my face — quite literally."

Claire's spoke out immediately following the FDA statement last week telling Refinery29 in an email: "Claire’s Stores, Inc. has voluntarily recalled the JoJo Cosmetic Kit out of an abundance of caution after testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration indicated the possible presence of trace amounts of asbestos fibers in the powder eyeshadow element of the kit. Claire’s stands behind the safety of this item and all other Claire’s cosmetic items, as such small trace amounts are considered acceptable under European and Canadian cosmetic safety regulations. We will provide a full refund to any customers who purchased the product."

Prior to this month's recall, the retailer faced similar backlash from the FDA. There was a warning issued earlier this year that highlighted specific Claire's cosmetics with asbestos. Also, back in 2017, nine products were recalled after a Rhode Island mom sent her daughter's glitter makeup from the store in for independent lab testing. Clearly Claire's is under a microscope right now, but in general, the cosmetics industry could use more oversight to ensure that products are safe for consumers.