Which Companies Continue to Sell Talc-Based Baby Powders?

Alex Scranton Director of Science and Research

For decades, doctors and scientists have raised concerns that using talc-based powders is leading to ovarian cancer and respiratory disease like mesothelioma. In fact, thousands of women have sued Johnson & Johnson (J&J) — manufacturers of one of the most popular baby powders on the market – for the negative impacts that use of its baby powder has had on their health. (And increasingly they are winning those cases!) So after years of denial and doubling down, J&J finally decided in 2020 to reformulate its baby powder in the U.S., replacing the talc with safer cornstarch.

This made us wonder – just how late is J&J to the party? They have only just announced (May 2020) that they will reformulate in the U.S. – and plan to *sell down any existing talc-based powder currently on store shelves until it’s gone. And, outrageously, Johnson & Johnson refuses to stop selling its talc-based powder in other countries.

But how does J&J’s decision compare to other companies selling talc-based powders?

To get the answer, we took a look at our list of 28 powder products we identified in a 2017 blog that — at the time — still contained talc. 

These companies simply weren’t waiting for the market leader to lead!

The good news: Most companies recognized the risk (both to women’s health and their reputations) and made the business decision to remove talc from their products. The bad news: The #1 seller of baby powder (J&J), as well as a few other manufacturers are still laggards, and continue to expose their customers to talc.

Know any products you think we missed that still contain talc? Let us know and we will look into it!

For additional details, click here.