Is Talc Harmful In Cosmetics?
The good news. – We know testing helps prevent asbestos-contaminated talc from appearing in the market, and we know talc-containing cosmetics are safe to use according to manufacturer recommendations. We can enjoy our favorite talc-based cosmetics without undue fears about adverse health reactions stemming from contaminated talc.
Should makeup be talc free?
Talc is a popular ingredient in makeup, but it has a long documented history of asbestos contamination. Certain brands of children’s and adult makeup have tested positive for asbestos in recent years. Because talcum powder in cosmetics can be contaminated with asbestos, these products can pose serious health risks for consumers. Talc in makeup may cause cancer as a result of asbestos exposure.
In November 2020, the Environmental Working Group commissioned a study of 21 cosmetics samples and found asbestos in three of the samples. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2019 found asbestos in nearly 20% of 52 cosmetic samples collected around the country. In March 2018, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group said it found asbestos in makeup products Claire’s sold. The group conducted tests on four Claire’s makeup products and discovered high levels of asbestos in three of them. Tests conducted in 2017 found asbestos in children’s makeup sold by retailers Claire’s and Justice.
The Environmental Working Group commissioned the government-licensed Scientific Analytical Institute in Greensboro, North Carolina, to conduct the 2020 tests. “I could go across the street right now to the mall and pick up talc powder that I know from previous testing, more likely than not, will contain some amount of asbestos.” Sean Fitzgerald Director of Research and Analytical Services at SAI
Has talc been banned?
Johnson and Johnson will discontinue talc based baby powder worldwide Johnson & Johnson will end global sales of baby powder containing the mineral talc in 2023, switching to a formulation based on corn starch. The company is facing over 40 000 lawsuits in the US alleging that baby powder contaminated with asbestos caused ovarian cancer or mesothelioma.
But Johnson & Johnson did not attribute the switch to that controversy, calling it a “commercial decision” that “will help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation, and meet the needs of our consumers, customers, and evolving global trends.” “Corn starch based Johnson’s Baby Powder is already sold in countries around the world,” the company said in a statement announcing the change.
“Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged,” the statement continued. “We stand firmly behind the decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that : Johnson and Johnson will discontinue talc based baby powder worldwide
Is applying talc on face good?
3. Clogs your pores – Talcum powder is harmful for skin because it is finely milled and clogs the, It doesn’t allow the sweat to evaporate during the summer season. It can make existing rashes worse or even cause new ones. “Some talcum powders contains a substance called asbestos which can cause lung cancer.
Why do cosmetic companies use talc?
What types of products may contain talc? – Talc may be used in products to absorb moisture, prevent caking, improve consistency, or to make a product opaque. Talc is an ingredient used in personal care products such as loose powders (e.g., talcum powder, baby powder, blush, eyeshadow), and in other forms (e.g., pressed powder, liquid makeup).
Why use talc free?
March 10, 2020 In a world where we are more curious about the ingredients we put on our skin and into our bodies, it’s important to understand what each ingredient is and what it does. You may have heard a huge buzz going around Talc or Talcum powder.
Not sure what that is? Not to worry, that’s what we are here for! What is Talc? Talc or Talcum powder is an ingredient found in a range of personal care and health and beauty products. It’s commonly known to be used in baby powders. Its powder attributes typically can help with avoiding wetness that leads to diaper rash and irritation – but at what risk? Why avoid Talc? In recent studies by the FDA, Talc contains traces of asbestos like fibers that are known to cause cancer and tumors.
It has recently been deemed as a carcinogen. Knowing that your baby’s skin can absorb over 60% of what you put on it, this is a pretty good reason to avoid any talc products. Are there Talc alternatives? Yes! No one wants their baby to suffer through diaper rashes and wetness.
Cornstarch – naturally keeps skin dry and absorbs wetness Organic Aloe Vera – gently cools and soothes irritated skin Kaolin Clay – contains natural soothing properties Vitamins B5 and C – helps provide nutrients to skin
You can enjoy all the benefits of a dry bum without the dangers of talc with our all natural Talc-Free baby powder, Made with essential vitamins and organic ingredients. SHOP THIS ARTICLE Find out more about Little Twig Talc-Free Baby Powder
What can I use instead of talc for makeup?
They’re made of organic materials – 
Michelle Lee Photography/Shutterstock Talc is a naturally-occurring mineral, but one of the bonuses of talc alternatives is that they’re typically plant-derived. Standard options include oat flour, rice starch, arrowroot starch, tapioca starch, and corn starch.
These choices are easy to find in the grocery store if you’re looking for an alternative to talc-based body powder, but they’re also available in commercially-produced products. Bottles will usually be visibly marked as talc-free, but look at the ingredients list for more specific information on what’s in the product.
In makeup, silica, zinc oxide, and mica are more common replacements because they appear smoother on the skin and are more shelf stable. Many brands are jumping ahead of the curve and removing talc from their products early of any concrete action from the FDA, likely because the ingredient is already banned in the European Union.
Why is talc discontinued?
Explained: Why has Johnson and Johnson decided to discontinue its talc-based baby powder? Pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson (J&J) announced Thursday (August 11) that it, amidst the tens of thousands of lawsuits from women who claim that the product caused them to have ovarian cancer, due to the alleged contamination of asbestos, a known carcinogen.
The announcement comes more than two years after J&J discontinued the product in the US and Canada. The company stated that it had made a “commercial decision” to transition to a cornstarch-based baby powder. For years the company has maintained that the product is safe, which was reiterated on Thursday.
“Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged,” it said in a statement. Citing decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts, J&J confirmed that its talc-based JOHNSON’S® Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause,” What is talc? Talc is the softest known mineral and is mined from underground deposits.
- Chemically, it is hydrous magnesium silicate, according to the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and is used in a variety of cosmetic and personal care products, like baby powder, lipstick, eyeshadow and foundation.
- When reduced to a fine powder, it is able to absorb moisture and reduce friction which keeps the skin dry, helps prevent rashes, stops makeup from caking and generally helps improve the feel and texture of a product.
Does it cause cancer? Asbestos, the name for another group of naturally occurring silicate minerals, can also be found near talc deposits. According to the FDA, “there is the potential for contamination of talc with asbestos.” Asbestos has been used in construction and manufacturing, and is known to cause lung cancer, ovarian cancer, mesothelioma and other health conditions.
According to the American Cancer Society, it is generally accepted that talc contaminated with asbestos can cause cancer. However, it is less clear whether asbestos free talc is harmful as well. Since the 1960s, it has been suggested that when applied to the genital area or on sanitary napkins, talcum powder can cause ovarian cancer.
However, the FDA states, “These studies have not conclusively demonstrated such a link, or if such a link existed, what risk factors might be involved.” For decades, pediatricians have advised parents to not use talcum powder on babies, even if it does not contain asbestos.
They warn that if they inhale talc, it can cause choking, infection and respiratory illnesses. The lawsuits against Johnson and Johnson In 1894, the company began selling the baby powder to alleviate diaper rash, and with its signature fragrance, has become recognizable across the world. From the late 1990s, J&J has faced countless lawsuits over the alleged asbestos contamination of its baby powder, charges that the company has consistently denied.
Darlene Coker was perhaps the first person to sue, claiming that the poisonous talc that she had used on her baby and herself had given her mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the tissue on various organs. During the hearing, J&J was able to avoid disclosing talc test results and internal company records that had been requested, and Coker was forced to drop the lawsuit, according to a Reuters report from 2018.
Since then, tens of thousands of lawsuits have been filed against J&J, on charges that its talcum powder was contaminated with cancer causing asbestos. It faces over 40,300 lawsuits in the US alone, as Bloomberg reported, and has been ordered to pay $3.5 billion in settlements so far. In 2018, a jury in a Missouri court awarded $4.7 billion to 22 women, after it found that J&J’s talc products contained asbestos and contributed to their ovarian cancer, as reported by the Associated Press in 2021.
A state appeals court dropped two women from the suit that year and reduced the award to $2 billion. Despite appeals by J&J, the Supreme Court did not overturn the verdict. Investigations by Reuters and The New York Times in 2018, revealed that since the early 1970’s, J&J knew that their talc products were sometimes contaminated by small amounts of asbestos.
J&J refuted these claims and insisted that regular testing had shown that their baby powder was asbestos free. Also in Explained | What steps has Johnson and Johnson taken?
Despite repeated disavowal, in October 2019, J&J recalled 33,000 bottles of baby powder after the FDA found trace amounts of asbestos in one bottle. Later that month, the company said that 15 new tests from the same bottle conducted by laboratories that J&J hired found no asbestos, as reported by CBS News in 2020.
- In May 2020, J&J announced that it would discontinue the sale of talc-based baby powder in Canada and the US, because of changing consumer habits “fueled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising”.
- They maintained that decades of studies had supported the safety of baby powder.
In response to the tens of thousands of lawsuits mounted against the company, J&J used a bankruptcy strategy known as the “Texas two-step” to limit the court ordered payouts, as reported by NPR. Also read | Last October, J&J created a subsidiary in Texas called LTL Management LLC.
- It then transferred all baby powder claims and future liabilities into the new company, while keeping its assets separate.
- LTL subsequently filed for bankruptcy, which according to NPR put all the lawsuits against it on hold.
- J&J executives have defended the controversial move, claiming that it would resolve the claims in an efficient and equitable manner.
The lawyers of cancer patients that are suing J&J argue that the strategy is meant to delay and frustrate lawsuits that would have gone to a jury trial against the company directly, as reported by Forbes. On September 19, an appeals court in Philadelphia will hear arguments by the lawyers of former talc users, as reported by Bloomberg, who argue that the bankruptcy filing by J&J was in “bad faith” because the litigation had not threatened the company’s overall financial position.
Why was talc removed from powder?
A 57-year-old Montreal woman says she would have never suspected her ovarian cancer diagnosis would be linked to her daily use of a talc-based product and believes other Canadians still don’t know the deadly illness can be linked to something as seemingly benign as talc-based baby powder.
Talc is no longer considered safe for use in cosmetics and personal cleansing products because exposure to the product carries a risk of developing potentially serious respiratory problems and possibly ovarian cancer in women. Healthcare conglomerate Johnson & Johnson stopped selling its iconic talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in North America in 2020 and now faces a flood of lawsuits from thousands of plaintiffs who claim the company knew for decades yet never made it public its talc-based products contained traces of asbestos, a known carcinogen.
Manon Lavigne, who is one of dozens of Canadian plaintiffs pursuing a claim against the healthcare conglomerate, believes daily use of the product is why she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer in July of 2021 when doctors stumbled upon a grapefruit-sized tumour growing inside her body during a routine scan.
Does Mac makeup contain talc?
How safe is it? – Studio Fix is a powder and foundation in one that combines good coverage with ease of application. Designed to be used dry, the powder and pigments create a matte, velvety texture. It contains Silica, which helps to maintain a matte finish by absorbing oils on the skin, as well as Talc to provide a smoother, less reflective, matte finish.