Johnson & Johnson faces a new lawsuit from a consumer claiming that the company’s marketing of baby powder for women is misleading and conceals the risks for baby powder cancer.

Plaintiff Christine R. and her husband Christopher R. recently filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, alleging that the company’s baby powder for women can cause ovarian cancer. The baby powder lawsuit claims that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn consumers of the risks of baby powder for women despite having knowledge of the dangers.

Christine says she used Johnson & Johnson baby powder for women products for nearly her entire life, since her birth in 1951. She says that in May 2016, after her doctors found a pelvic mass, she underwent a total hysterectomy and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Johnson & Johnson baby powder for women is a talc-based product and was historically promoted as a “symbol of freshness, cleanliness, and purity”. The company allegedly marketed their baby powder for women as a way to ensure “freshness” and “comfort”. One slogan repeatedly used to market baby powder for women is: “For you, use every day to help feel soft, fresh, and comfortable”.

Women were allegedly further targeted by Johnson & Johnson marketing with the release of Shower to Shower baby powder for women. Christine says Johnson & Johnson allegedly utilized the slogan “a sprinkle a day keeps odor away” to encourage women to use the talc-based baby powder product on their genital area.

However, Christine alleges this marketing scheme may have been exposing women to unnecessary risks for ovarian cancer. In 1982, the first epidemiologic study was performed to examine the link between talc baby powder for women and ovarian cancer. The study reportedly revealed that women who used talc-based baby powder on their genital area were at a 92 percent increased risk for ovarian cancer. The head of this study, Dr. Daniel Cramer, allegedly advised Johnson & Johnson scientists that consumers should be warned about the risks.

Since Dr. Cramer’s study in 1982, there have been at least 22 additional studies providing evidence for the link between baby powder for women and ovarian cancer, Christine says. Despite these studies, Johnson & Johnson has allegedly failed to warn their consumers of the risks and continues to market their baby powder for women as safe for perineal use.

It is theorized that talc particles in baby powder can migrate up the female reproductive system to the ovaries. When talc particles reach the ovaries, they can allegedly cause inflammation and mutation, thereby increasing the risk of cancer development.

In 2006, the International Association for the Research of Cancer (IARC) classified the perineal use of talc as a Class 2A human carcinogen, meaning that evidence supports the link between the two. Other regulatory bodies, including the Canadian government, have also classified talc as toxic and carcinogenic.

Christine claims that Johnson & Johnson knew about the risks but chose to prioritize profits over the health of their consumers.

The Baby Powder Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 6:18-cv-06604 in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York.