New Randoms-Labeling

I received pictures today of the new "Randoms" now being offered by GlitterSniffer Cosmetics.

The pigments came packaged together in a plastic bag, with an ingredients list affixed to it. The individual jars were not labeled with ingredients.

The ingredients list states it "may contain".

This does not appear to meet FDA labeling guidelines. When a fullsize product is sold it must contain ingredients, use, and place of manufacture/distributor statement on each individual jar. The stackers currently being sold by GS are exempt from this strict ingredient  labeling, but not the manufacturer/distributor statement and use guidelines, as they are considered one full size product and cannot be individually labeled by color, hence the "may contain" ingredient labeling.

The order contained  a sample which was labeled only with a GlitterSniffer sticker.

As this is a sample size, and not a fullsize product, the FDA labeling guidelines do not apply.

The order also contained a fullsize "Random", which has no label at all.

Suffice to say, this product meets none of the FDA labeling requirements and could therefore be called possibly misbranded and subject to FDA action.

Etsy Call Out Blog

I contacted the Etsy Call Out Blog last night. Glittersniffer had previously been called out on the blog for incorrectly listing a PIF.* I contacted them in hopes of informing more people about the recall, as neither GlitterSniffer nor Etsy has contacted the people who may be affected who purchased through Etsy.

The Etsy Call Out blog posted about the recall today.

The link to the blog has generated a fair amount of traffic today, and it is my hope that people will find the information here illuminating, and that they can now make an informed choice going forward.

*PIF stands for "Pay It Forward". It's a concept designed to inspire good actions in the world. A PIF is listed at $.20 on Etsy, with little to no shipping, and the only thing asked is that you list a PIF yourself if you are a seller, or that you perform an act of kindness.

Handmade Detroit

I contacted Handmade Detroit last night. As far as I could tell from their site they are affiliated with marketing the Detroit Urban Craft Fair, where GlitterSniffer Cosmetics has sold previously.

I provided them with a brief outline of the situation and a link to the recall.

Detroit Handmade posted this today:

Glittersniffer Cosmetics Recall

It’s come to our attention that Glittersniffer Cosmetics, a past participant in the Detroit Urban Craft Fair 2008 and 2009 and Maker Faire Detroit in 2010, has issued a recall as of Dec. 24th, 2010, for some of the company’s products, due to FDA regulations. Handmade Detroit’s only affiliation with Glittersniffer Cosmetics is that of a vendor – Handmade Detroit has never received any profit from this vendor’s sales. As a courtesy to our event shoppers, we wanted to share this information with the community.
If you’ve purchased some of these products between 2006-2010, you can find a list of recalled products and information on how to request a refund here. If you need any assistance contacting Glittersniffer Cosmetics or have additional questions, please e-mail the Handmade Detroit team at media [at] handmadedetroit [dot]com.

I am not sure the reach this site has, but I am very happy that more people are now aware so they can make an informed decision. I would like to note that it took one message on their contact form to get this information posted, as step that could have easily been taken by GS themselves.

Big Cartel/Old Stock/Refund

As I was researching today I ran across some information that reminded me of some of the commitments made by GlitterSniffer Cosmetics.

In her statement admitting to using unsafe dyes and selling non vegan products GS proprietor Lela Warren made the following commitment:

To ensure that they meet the standards they have set forth for themselves GS stated that they were only going to be selling through their official website.

GlitterSniffer has a BigCartel site.

The site contains a listing for a Back to Basics Collection which includes the recalled pigment Flight Club.

Perhaps this is an oversight on GS part, as we know that the company further committed to discard all unsold product as evidenced here:

Except this is what actually happened:

It does not need to be said that selling the old stock off in a lot is far different than discarding it.

In regards to the recall refund policy the company stance, in part, taken from the official website includes the following information (emphasis mine)

We are refunding at the price of $6.50 per 5g pot, $4.00 per 3g pot, and $1 per clamshell with proof of purchase. The proof of purchase we are requiring is that the recalled pigments are sent back to GS Cosmetics with Delivery Confirmation.

And this, taken from an email reply today:

According to the official company stance in order to receive a refund you must return your pigments and any pigment not on the recall list is ineligible.

I received a refund today without meeting any of these guidelines.

These instances clearly illustrate that the commitments that GS has made to its customers are not set in stone. GS has in the recent past shown through their actions that as a company they can choose to make a business decision not in line with their official policy. I am hopeful that my refund is a benchmark that GS has set for itself, and that they will disregard their current recall guidelines and refund any consumer that feels unsafe using their products. Their choice as a company to refund me outside of the guidelines shows they could easily accomplish this. They were both willing and able to in my case, so there is nothing aside from policy, which they have a demonstrable history of disregarding, that is stopping them from doing so for others.

Wayne County Health Department

I called the Wayne County Health Department-Environmental Health Division at 734-727-7400 on Friday. I reached the switchboard and asked to be transferred to John to file a complaint about possible adulterated formulation by an unlicensed homebased cosmetics company. It is my understanding that a complaint has already been filed by a Facebook commenter and that John would be very amenable to any information that could be provided to him.


I was transferred and reached the voicemail system. I left a brief message with my name, contact information, a brief outline of the situation and a request for a callback.


I received a callback from John's direct line at 734-727-7442. Unfortunately, I was at work and couldn't answer. He left me a voicemail and asked me to call back.


I have contacted John again, but only reached voicemail. I plan on following up again on Tuesday as Monday is a holiday and I believe all county offices will be closed.


Thank you to the Facebook commenter for pointing me in this direction.

Refund-Complete

I received a refund for my full requested amount of $21.50, along with a request that I cancel my money request to the GlitterSnifferCosmetics email address. The payment came from the new email address that GS has been using since their relaunch, and indicated that this email address was the only way the company could send funds.

It should be noted that this sets a precedent in terms of the way GS has been handling the refund process. I did not send my product back (nor was it requested), and none of my items were on the official recall list, though one of them does flouresce under a blacklight. My request was based on the product not being as advertised, as it contained possible unsafe ingredients (through cross contamination) and potentially unsanitary packing and formulating procedures. While I am sure that the argument can be made that exceptions can be made in certain cases it is my thought that my refund is no different than anyone elses, and that each refund should be held to the same standard in order to be obtained.

I am researching Paypal now to ensure that should I cancel my money request there is no way for the refund to be canceled. I am confident that with this show of good faith that GS would hold true to their refund. As soon as my research is done and I am ensured that the refund will remain in my account I will cancel the money request.

I applaud GS for making this right. It speaks to the commitment to change that the company has promised.

As for me, I will be doing a bit of shopping today, before resuming activity on the blog. I have much more information to publish and complaints I must followup on.

1/16/11 ETA: I wanted to reiterate that this refund was initiated by GS and that I requested to wait for my refund to be processed in the order in which it was received. It is my hope that it was processed along with many others in the exact order in which it was received.

11/16/11 ETA: After a review of Paypal's policies, and a quick chat with Sarah the virtual assistant, I have canceled my money request. As the payment is marked complete in Paypal there is no way for the payment to be reversed unless I refund it myself. I consider the matter of my refund to be closed at this time.

Refund

I received an email today from GlitterSniffer. It contained a request for my refund amount and Paypal address and the generous offer to be first in line to receive a refund. It disclosed that although the process has taken some time that it has now begun. Here is my response:

Lela,

Thank you so much for your email. It is good to know that you are working towards a resolution to this matter.

While I do appreciate the offer, I believe that I will wait my turn in line for a refund. I have previously sent you 3 emails, a money request, and 2 reminders via Paypal, all with the details you have requested. As you process the refunds in the order they are received I am confident you will eventually get to mine. I, of course, will update the blog when it is received.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I look forward to watching you turn this around.

Have a great day,
GS Complaints

 I received another email requesting that I disclose which refund request was mine. Here is my response:

Lela,

Again, thank you for contacting me.

As I said before I have already provided you with all the necessary information to process my refund. Please do not mistake my reticence for being uncooperative. I want to ensure that my refund is processed in the order in which it was received as that seems the most fair for everyone involved. I respect what you are trying to do from a customer service standpoint, and it is much appreciated, but as you process all claims, disputes, and money requests mine will eventually be included. I will wait patiently just like everyone else.

I do look forward to a speedy resolution, and I wish you luck going forward.

GS Complaints

 And that is where we stand for now. I will wait for my refund and continue to update the blog with all information regarding that refund, complaints I have filed, and any other information that is relevant to the matter.