The Case Against Talc
*originally published September 30, 2021, updated in 2023
For decades, asbestos as been a known contaminant of talc. Yet products with talc remain on shelves today.
Talc in Everyday Products
Talc is used in everyday products like deodorant, eyeshadow, powder, foundation, and even supplements. It is added for different functions like to absorb moisture or prevent caking, increase opacity, and smooth or soften formulas.
Link Between Talc and Asbestos
Talc is a naturally occurring mineral that is mined in the Earth. It is often mined in close proximity of asbestos. There is a risk that mined talc can be contaminated with asbestiform fibers. Asbestiform fibers are carcinogens that are linked to mesothelioma. There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. Sadly, the link between talc, asbestos and ovarian cancer was made as far back as the 1970s. Due to corporate influence on regulation, there have been efforts to hide this, and talc continues to be used in products today.
Testing For Asbestos in Talc
Guidelines state that talc used in the US should be free from asbestos. In order to ensure talc is free from asbestos, each individual lot of talc must be tested. This process is difficult and simply not done; therefore, there is no way to know for certain that talc is asbestos-free.
Commonly used methods for asbestos testing in talc have shortcomings. The Interagency Working Group on Asbestos in Consumer Products has recently made recommendations to promote reliability of the analytical methods for asbestos.
The recent Modernization of Cosmetics Regulations Act of 2022 states that the Secretary of Human and Health Services must “propose regulations to establish and require standardized testing methods for detecting and identifying asbestos in talc-containing cosmetic products,” within a year of the Act’s enactment.
Talc and Asbestos Lawsuits
Over the years, asbestos has been found in numerous products containing talc. In December of 2022, Avon was ordered to pay over $50 million for having talc products contaminated with asbestos and failing to warn consumers of the danger. In 2017, the FDA found asbestos contamination in cosmetics sold at Claire’s and Justice stores. Upon finding the asbestos, the FDA asked Claire’s to recall the products but they did not because at that time, FDA lacked the authority to force a recall of cosmetic products. Since the enactment of the MOCRA legislation, FDA can choose to force a recall.
In 2019, the FDA detected asbestos in a sample of Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder. Johnson & Johnson voluntarily recalled the one lot that was found to contain asbestos. In 2020, Johnson and Johnson announced it would discontinue sales of its talc-based baby powder in North America once the remaining product on shelves was sold. In 2023, Johnson & Johnson stopped selling talc-based baby powder worldwide.
Thousands of lawsuits have been filed concerning a link between ovarian cancer and talc powder.
How To Avoid Talc With Asbestos
The only way to be sure to avoid talc with asbestos contamination is to not use products containing talc. Check the full ingredient label on your products for talc. Products that commonly contain talc include the following:
Baby powder
Eyeshadow
Face powder
Foundation
Deodorant
Supplements
Examples of popular products that still contain talc as of this writing:
Seint Cosmetics setting powder
Laura Mercier setting powder
Rare Beauty By Selena Gomez tinted moisturizer
Johnson & Johnson baby powder (outside North America)
Charlotte Tilbury setting powder
Fenty Beauty By Rihanna eyeshadow
MAC Studio Radiance foundation
Secret Outlast deodorant
Centrum Silver multivitamin
Givenchy loose setting and finishing power
Fenty instant retouch setting powder
Huda easy bake setting powder
Anastasia Beverly Hills loose setting powder
Beware of These Marketing Tricks
You might see products with “asbestos-free talc.” However, there there is no way to know for certain that talc is asbestos-free since it varie from lot to lot. Also, some brands claim “ecocert talc,” however there is no support that ecocert talc is asbetos free.
Talc References & Resources
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6784763/
[2] https://oehha.ca.gov/chemicals/talc-containing-asbestiform-fibers
[3] https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/statement-fda-commissioner-scott-gottlieb-md-and-susan-mayne-phd-director-center-food-safety-and
[4] https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/baby-powder-manufacturer-voluntarily-recalls-product-asbestos
[5] https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-recalls-alerts/fda-recall-policy-cosmetics#:~:text=FDA%20has%20no%20authority%20under,an%20active%20role%20in%20recalls.&text=Class%20III%20is%20a%20situation,to%20cause%20adverse%20health%20consequences.
[6] https://www.fda.gov/media/134005/download
