Crack the Crown, a collaboration of anti-MLM YouTubers, commissioned a lab to test Paparazzi jewelry for toxic metals.

The report details dangerous levels of arsenic, cadmium and lead across a range of Paparazzi pieces.

Crack the Crown commissioned Waypoint Analytical to test Paparazzi jewelry samples last month.

On its website, Waypoint Analytical claims it’s

arguably the largest agricultural laboratory group and among the top 50 environmental lab groups in the United States.

Crack the Crown submitted ten Paparazzi jewelry samples for testing.

The following is a list, including where specifically on the jewelry metal was tested:

  1. Colorfully Cosmic Multi Bracelet (right) – metal around fake beads
  2. Lookin’ Like a Million Blue Necklace – metal from around where the blue pendant is set in
  3. You Know HUE Green Earring – metal part where the green bead is centered on
  4. A Silver Spell Silver Blockbuster Necklace – oval rings
  5. Money On My Mind White Ring – metal part that would sit on top of finger
  6. Number One Knockout Pink Bracelet – silver part that the tiny white beads are set in
  7. Camera Chic Black Bracelet – silver part that the tiny white beads are set in
  8. Treasury Fund White Ring – metal part that would sit on top of finger
  9. Sugar-coated Sparks Pink Bracelet – metal settings the pink beads are set in
  10. Bow Before the Queen White Necklace – chunky metal pieces between curved bars

Here are the more concerning results:

  • Colorfully Cosmic Multi Bracelet contained 67.2 mg/kg of arsenic and 132 mg/kg of nickel
  • You Know HUE Green Earring contained 16.9 mg/kg of cadmium
  • A Silver Spell Blockbuster Necklace contained 62 mg/kg of arsenic, 113 mg/kg of lead and 70.2 mg/kg of nickel
  • Money On My Mind White Ring contained 799,000 mg/kg of cadmium and 41.4 mg/kg of lead
  • Number One Knockout Pink Bracelet contained 23.7 mg/kg of cadmium and 58.1 mg/kg of lead
  • Camera Chic Black Bracelet contained 1130 mg/kg of lead and 1900 mg/kg of nickel
  • Treasury Fund White Ring contained 819,000 mg/kg of cadmium and 95.3 mg/kg of lead
  • Sugar-coated Sparks Pink Bracelet contained 18.7 mg/kg of cadmium and 41.4 mg/kg of lead
  • Bow Before the Queen White Necklace contained 83.8 mg/kg of arsenic, 19.4 mg/kg of cadmium and 128 mg/kg of nickel

Full reports are available on Crack The Crown’s FaceBook page.

Up until December 2021, Paparazzi included the claim “lead and nickel free” in their advertising.

And this was of course dutifully parroted by Paparazzi distributors (click to enlarge):

As of late December or early January, Paparazzi has removed “lead and nickel free” claims from its website and marketing.

Instead, the company now claims its jewelry

is required to undergo testing for compliance with California’s Proposition 65, which includes testing for all heavy metals including lead, nickel, cadmium as well as phthalates.

California’s Proposition 65 is one of the most stringent consumer laws in the US, and Paparazzi’s jewelry complies with Proposition 65.

Paparazzi Accessories are not hypo-allergenic.

California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control measures heavy metal toxicity in parts per million (PPM).

To calculate PPM, we take the substance amount, divide it by the mass and then multiply that answer by one million.

Waypoint Analytical’s results are provided in mg/kg. There are 1 million mg in a kg, so effectively the provided mg amounts are PPM values.

E.g. There is 23.7 mg of cadmium in a one kg sample of Number One Knockout Pink Bracelet.

Our PPM formula is thus (23.7/1,000,000)*1,000,000, which equals 23.7.

According to the DTSC’s “Metal-Containing Jewelry Law Fact Sheet”;

No material may exceed 0.03% (300 ppm) cadmium by weight.

Paparazzi’s Money On My Mind White Ring and Treasury Fund White Ring (right) pieces are well in violation of that, coming in at 799,000 and 819,000 PPM respectively.

As per DTSC;

Cadmium is used to make the coating of jewelry shiny and to add weight and mass to each piece.

However, cadmium is also a toxic heavy metal and a suspected carcinogen. Chronic cadmium ingestion can lead to kidney damage, bone loss problems; vomiting, diarrhea and even death at high enough doses.

Children are particularly susceptible to these health effects.

As per California’s Health and Safety Code, metallic jewelry sold in the state may not contain more than 500 PPM lead by weight (Article 10.1.1, Section 25214.2 (11) and (12)).

Containing 1130 PPM of lead, Paparazzi’s Camera Chic Black Bracelet (right) has over double the limit.

DTSC warns;

Exposures to lead can lead to a number of health problems, including:

-behavioral problems
-learning disabilities
-joint and muscle weakness
-anemia
-organ failure
-and even death

And remember, this is a sample size of ten Paparazzi jewelry pieces. Over the years Paparazzi has sold thousands of pieces.

So the marketing goes, Paparazzi’s range is “always changing, buy it when you see it!”

With respect to Paparazzi’s false marketing claims, pertaining to its jewelry being “lead and nickel free”, this is likely a violation of Title 16, Section 23.1 of the Code of Federal Regulations (regulated by the FTC).

Whether US regulators take action against Paparazzi remains to be seen.

 

Update 11th May 2022 – US regulators haven’t taken any public action against Paparazzi to date.

Consumers filed two class-actions against Paparazzi, alleging misconduct over toxic metals in their jewelry.

Both class-actions were filed in late April, one in New York and one in North Carolina.