The Cosmetics Industry Self-Regulating Privilege Allowed Asbestos In Talc To Go Undetected

Consumers were deceived to believe that baby powder had to be safe before being allowed to be sold

Thursday, December 28, 2023 - The United States cosmetics industry functions within a regulatory system that is marked by a notable level of self-regulation. In contrast to sectors like pharmaceuticals, which have strict regulations protecting public health, the cosmetics industry mostly depends on businesses to guarantee the compliance and safety of their goods with little government control. Although this novel strategy gives cosmetic companies flexibility, it has inherent disadvantages. A notable example of the drawbacks of this self-regulation mechanism is the dispute over asbestos use in Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) well-known baby powder. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 established a set of regulations that the United States cosmetics sector must follow. These regulations are under the regulatory purview of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, unlike pharmaceuticals, cosmetic products are not mandated to undergo pre-market approval. Instead, companies are entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of their products, with no requirement to submit formulations for FDA review before market placement. This self-regulatory paradigm affords the cosmetics industry a certain level of autonomy but simultaneously exposes it to potential risks associated with lax oversight. Juliet Gray, an Illinois librarian told NewJerseyMonitor.com how she was misled by baby powders's presumption of safety and blames her terminal mesothelioma on a lifetime of using Johnson's Baby powder. "You trust that if there's something on the market, it's not going to kill you. When you're selling products to people for their health that they used to take care of themselves and those products are tainted with something so toxic you get terminal cancer from it, that is not OK -- especially if it becomes known that your product is tainted with asbestos, but you continue to sell that product and fight with the people who are harmed by your product." To make matters worse, Johnson & Johnson spent millions of dollars on branding and advertising their iconic talcum powder and targeting mothers to use it on their most precious newborn babies. Individuals with talcum powder ovarian cancer seeking legal assistance may wish to file a lawsuit.

Tens of thousands of Johnson's Baby Powder cancer lawsuits have brought to light the consequences of a self-regulating cosmetics industry, specifically concerning the oversight of asbestos in baby powder. Asbestos, a known carcinogen, was found in J&J's talcum-based baby powder, sparking significant health concerns. While asbestos was once commonly used in various products, including talcum powder, due to its desirable properties, its association with causing cancer and other health issues prompted a decline in its use over the years. Johnson & Johnson continues to deny that asbestos taints their talc supply despite FDA (Food and Drug Administration) tests that found traces of asbestos in bottles of Johnson's Baby Powder purchased from major American retailers. Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay billions of dollars to women who have developed ovarian cancer from using the product for feminine hygiene.

Information provided by TalcumPowderCancerLawsuit.com, a website devoted to providing news about talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits, as well as medical research and findings.