Johnson & Johnson to stop selling talc-based baby powder worldwide

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Johnson & Johnson baby powder overview: 

• Who: Johnson & Johnson has announced it will stop selling talc-based baby powder around the world starting next year and will begin making the product with cornstarch instead. 
• Why: Johnson & Johnson says the decision to switch the formula is a result of it reanalyzing its worldwide portfolio and not because it believes that the talc-based product is unsafe or can lead to ovarian cancer as tens of thousands of consumers have argued. 
• Where: Johnson & Johnson has not sold talc-based baby powder in the United States or Canada since 2020. 

Johnson & Johnson has announced that, starting next year, it will no longer sell talc-based baby powder and will begin manufacturing it with cornstarch instead. 

Talc-based baby powder has not been sold by Johnson & Johnson in the United States or Canada since 2020 with tens of thousands of complaints currently alleging it causes ovarian cancer, CNN Business reports. 

The company maintains it is confident in the safety of its Johnson & Johnson baby powder product and the ingredient change is simply part of it reevaluating its portfolio worldwide. 

“We continuously evaluate and optimize our portfolio to best position the business for long-term growth,” the company says in a statement. “This transition will help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation and meet the needs of our consumers, customers and evolving global trends.”

Unlike some other companies, Johnson & Johnson declined to put warning labels on its talc-based baby powder products, saying doing so would be confusing as it believes them to be safe, CNN Business reports. 

Johnson & Johnson baby powder containing talc safe, company maintains

“Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged. We stand firmly behind the decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirms talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer,” Johnson & Johnson says. 

Scientific studies reportedly differ on the safety of talc-based powder, with some — but not all — finding that exposure to talcum powder in the genital area can increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer, CNN Business reports. 

In June, Johnson & Johnson failed to convince the Supreme Court to hear its appeal of a $2.1 billion judgment made against it as the result of a class action lawsuit claiming its talc-based baby powder caused ovarian cancer.

If you or your loved one was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and used a baby powder product such as Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder or Shower to Shower, you may qualify for a free and confidential case evaluation.

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