Cosmetic powder usually made from talc or corn starch
Johnson's baby powder made fromtalc in an oldtin with a shaker on topTraditional container for baby powder and puff in South India, made of silverBaby powder might be applied after changing adiaper and cleaning thebaby.
Talcum baby powder was pioneered in the early 1890s byFrederick Barnett Kilmer, the first scientific director of the then-fledging healthcare companyJohnson and Johnson.[3] In 1892, Kilmer prescribed talcum powder to ease skin irritation from Johnson and Johnson's medical plasters.[4] The powder was soon found to ease irritation in babies' skin, and by 1894 Johnson's Baby Powder was being mass produced as its own product.[3]
Talcum powder, if inhaled, may causeaspiration pneumonia andgranuloma.[5] Severe cases may lead to chronic respiratory problems and death.[6][7] The particles in corn starch powder are larger and less likely to be inhaled.[8]
Some studies have found a statistical relationship between talcum powder applied to theperineal area of female babies and the incidence ofovarian cancer, but there is not a consensus aboutcausality.[9][10] In 2016, more than 1,000 women in the United StatessuedJohnson & Johnson for covering up the possiblecancer risk associated with its baby powder.[11] In 1975, an official at the US federalFood and Drug Administration stated that "No mother was going to powder her baby with 1% of a knowncarcinogen irregardless [sic] of the large safety factor" as a comment on the testing methodology that J&J backed.[12] The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada in 2020[13] and has said it will stop all talc sales worldwide by 2023, switching to acorn starch-based formula. However, Johnson & Johnson says that its talc-based baby powder does not contain asbestos and is safe to use.[14]
Further, in 2025, 3000 people in the UK filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Kenvue Ltd, alleging that the companies were aware of the presence ofasbestos in its baby powder since the 1960s.[15]Kenvue UK replied saying that talc was respecting all relevant rules. He further said that talc does not contain any asbestos and finally added that talc is not a carcinogen.The prosecution used the recent change in the composition of the powder as evidence. Johnson and Johnson replaced talc with cornstarch in 2023.[16]
^Mohan, Melissa; Whysner, John (2000). "Perineal application of talc and cornstarch powders: Evaluation of ovarian cancer risk".American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.182 (3):720–724.doi:10.1067/mob.2000.104259.PMID10739536.
^Mills, Paul; Riordan, Deborah; Cress, Rosemary; Young, Heather (2004). "Perineal talc exposure and epithelial ovarian cancer risk in the Central Valley of California".International Journal of Cancer.112 (3):458–464.doi:10.1002/ijc.20434.PMID15382072.S2CID2464631.
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