Consumer Safety Organization Think The Public Is At Risk From Talc-Based Beauty Products

The United States Public Interest Group (PIRG) and the Environmental Working Group are doing their best to alert the public about the dangers of using talc-based baby care, beauty care, and cosmetic products

Friday, March 19, 2021 - Multiple independent microscope testing labs working on their own, and for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have tested various talc products like baby powder, antiperspirant deodorants, and teen and children's cosmetics, and have found them to contain asbestos. Back in 2018, PIRG's testing "found asbestos in some makeup products sold at Claire's, a store that primarily markets to children and teens. In 2019, the FDA confirmed our findings and found asbestos in 9 more talc-based makeup products." To be sure, talc and asbestos deposits are can be found adjacent to one another or even interlaced with each other. Talc and asbestos mining uses open-pit blasting operations that cause the two minerals to intermingle in the air and eventually fall to earth. PIRG is concerned that people that use common products could be at risk for developing ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. PIRG's sister organization, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) "found that nearly 15 percent of the talc-based makeup products that they sampled contained asbestos." Talc Asbestos Cancer lawyers are interviewing clients that have used talc-based products regularly for many years and have developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma to see if they qualify to place a claim.

It is interesting to note that no matter what is decided about talc's asbestos contamination it is not worth the risk for cosmetics companies to use the ingredient. Alternatives like cornstarch and arrowroot are just as smooth, absorbent, and carry fragrance as much or more so than talc. These talc alternatives have been tested and have never contained a known harmful substance, let alone asbestos, a deadly killer. Leading companies that manufacture and market talc-based cosmetics have secretly replaced their beauty care products with safer main ingredients. According to Reuters, "Chanel, Revlon, and L'Oreal, three of the biggest brands in cosmetics, are quietly moving away from using talc in some products as U.S. cancer lawsuits and consumer concerns mount." Chanel has replaced talc that was in loose face powder, Revlon has switched from talc in its body care products. Chanel, Revlon, and Avon have all been named as defendants in talc asbestos lawsuits claiming that using their products has caused them to develop ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs. One was filed in California by a woman that claims to have developed mesothelioma from using Chanel's talc-based body powder. There are currently about 25,000 lawsuits pending against Johnson & Johnson for failing to warn consumers that the talc used in Johnson's Baby Powder probably contained asbestos. A Reuters investigation has been cited by plaintiff attorneys as uncovering evidence that the company was aware as early as 1971 that they had an asbestos problem. The company's response was to redirect their marketing towards women of color the company thought was less well-informed about the science of asbestos.