Baby powder is an astringent powder used for preventing diaper rash and for cosmetic uses. It may be composed of talc (in which case it is also called talcum powder), corn starch or potato starch. [1] It may contain additional ingredients such as fragrances. Baby powder can also be used as a dry shampoo, cleaning agent (to remove grease stains), and air freshener. [2]
Talcum baby powder was pioneered in the early 1890s by Frederick Barnett Kilmer, the first scientific director of the then-fledging healthcare company Johnson 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 cause aspiration pneumonia and granuloma. [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 the perineal area of female babies and the incidence of ovarian cancer, but there is not a consensus about causality. [9] [10] In 2016, more than 1,000 women in the United States sued Johnson & Johnson for covering up the possible cancer risk associated with its baby powder. [11] In 1975, an official at the US federal Food and Drug Administration stated that "No mother was going to powder her baby with 1% of a known carcinogen 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 a corn 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 prescence of asbestos in its baby powder since the 1960s. [15] Kenvue UK replied replied saying that talc was respecting all relevant rules. He further said that talc do not include any asbestos and finally added that talc is not cancerigen. The prosecution uses as a proof the recent change in the composition of the powder. Johnson and Johnson replaced talc with cornstarch in 2023. [16]
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"No mother was going to powder her baby with 1% of a known carcinogen irregardless of the large safety factor." - An FDA official commenting in 1975 on the talc testing method J&J backed
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