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Texas Opens Industrywide Probe of Tampon and Lip-Product Makers

Investigators will seek company records to determine whether consumer claims hid heavy metals or unsafe ingredients, which could prompt state enforcement.

Overview

  • The Texas Office of the Attorney General announced on Monday that it has opened broad investigations and issued Civil Investigative Demands to probe major feminine-care and cosmetic makers.
  • Civil Investigative Demands, a pre‑litigation tool that requires companies to produce documents and testing records, were sent to Tampax, Kotex, L., and LOLA as part of the tampon review.
  • The inquiry focuses on possible violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and will examine whether marketing or product claims misrepresented safety, quality, or chemical composition.
  • Officials said the probe also covers lip products such as balms and lipsticks over concerns about titanium dioxide, petroleum-derived compounds, microplastics and synthetic dyes and about marketing to frequent users and children.
  • The investigations were prompted in part by a 2024 UC Berkeley study that found measurable concentrations of 16 heavy metals in tampon samples; investigators said outcomes could range from no action to enforcement depending on what company records show.