Key Takeaways:
- Many personal care and cosmetics products are made with talc, including powders, deodorants, and makeup
- Talc deposits can be contaminated with asbestos
- Numerous popular brands of body powder and makeup used asbestos-contaminated talc
- Regular and even occasional exposure to contaminated talc products has been shown to cause mesothelioma and ovarian cancer
Mesothelioma is an insidious disease with a long latency period, meaning it often takes decades to develop, typically 20-50 years from initial exposure. The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. When most people think of asbestos exposure, they think of workplace exposure through industrial materials such as insulation, gaskets, and heavy machinery. However, there is a growing percentage of mesothelioma victims who weren’t occupationally exposed to asbestos.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, but has never worked with or around asbestos, you may be wondering how the disease could have developed. The answer could lie in the everyday products many of us have used for decades, not knowing they could have contained asbestos. The culprit? Asbestos-contaminated talc.
What is Talc and Why Does It Contain Asbestos?
Talc is a naturally occurring mineral that is mined for a variety of applications. When made into a powder, it effectively absorbs odor and moisture, and helps reduce friction, making it useful for keeping skin dry and helping prevent rashes. According to the FDA, talc is used in a wide range of cosmetic and other personal care products to prevent caking, wick moisture, or improve the feel of products, and can be found in everything from body powder to blush.
Talc and asbestos are both naturally occurring silicate minerals composed of the same chemical elements: silicon, magnesium, iron, oxygen, and hydrogen, and naturally form in similar geological conditions. Because of this, it is not uncommon for asbestos minerals to form within talc deposits, and when these contaminated deposits are extracted for use in consumer products, the result can be deadly.
What Evidence is There That Talcum Powder is Harmful?
It is important to note that not all talc contains asbestos, however, even the relatively small amounts that have been detected in some talc products have been shown to cause mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. Evidence of the dangers of asbestos-contaminated talc is well documented:
- The American Cancer Society classifies talcum powder containing asbestos as carcinogenic.
- The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorizes talc with asbestiform fibers (including asbestos and fibrous talc) as a known carcinogen. The IARC also notes that exposure from cosmetic and body powder use is well documented.
- The FDA has acknowledged concerns about asbestos contamination in talc since the 1970s.
- A 2024 NIH study found a positive association between the use of intimate care products, including talc, and ovarian cancer.
- Research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM) supports the causal link between asbestos-contaminated talc and ovarian cancer.
- The JOEM research shows that asbestos exposure by inhalation can occur during cosmetic talc use.
Anyone using talcum powder would almost certainly have inhaled the fine dust at some point and even indirect exposure through a family member or roommate using the product is possible. Mesothelioma, one of the deadliest asbestos-related diseases, is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers and requires only minimal exposure to develop. There is no proven safe threshold for exposure to asbestos.
Could I Have Been Exposed to Asbestos in Talc?
Talc-containing products are marketed under many different brand names. While most commonly associated with baby powder, the potential for exposure extends well beyond infants.
Many everyday products contain talc, including:
- Deodorant: Talc is used for its odor-absorbing properties.
- Intimate and body powders: These powders are commonly used by both men and women for a feeling of freshness.
- Makeup and cosmetics: Talc is widely used in products like blush, eyeshadow, and face powder by both adults and children. Especially troubling is that asbestos has been found in children’s makeup sold by Claire’s and Justice stores as recently as 2020.
Talc is also common in workplace routines:
- Outdoor occupations: Body powders are frequently used on hot, humid days to prevent chafing and control odor when working outside. Workers (including electricians, construction workers, or line workers) often apply it under clothing or in shoes.
- Barbershops: Barbers routinely use talcum powder to reduce irritation after a shave or to remove loose hair.
Even leisure activities can bring exposure:
- After a day at the beach, many people use body powder to help remove sand before heading home.
Shepard O’Donnell maintains an extensive record of brands whose talc products are alleged to be contaminated with asbestos, including familiar household names such as Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Scholls, Gold Bond, CVS Brand, Old Spice, L’Oreal, MAC, Clinique, Urban Decay, Maybelline, and many more.
Anytime powdered talc is used, millions, even billions, of fibers are released into the air. If those fibers are contaminated with asbestos and inhaled, there is the potential for disease to develop. Worryingly, the IARC warns in a 2024 monograph that “because of the challenges of accurate measurement, contamination of talc with asbestos may still be a concern and may lead to exposure of workers and the general population to asbestos (e.g., via contaminated talc-based make-up and body powder).”
A Case in Point: Johnson & Johnson
The talc product most familiar to many people is Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) Baby Powder, which was made with talc until the company began phasing out its use in 2022. Internal company documents show that asbestos has been present in J&J’s talc ores since at least the 1950s. While J&J maintains its products are safe, a Reuters investigation reveals that the company knew its talcum powder was sometimes tainted with asbestos but kept the information quiet.
The company currently faces more than 50,000 lawsuits alleging its talc-based powder products contain asbestos that caused ovarian cancer or mesothelioma. These lawsuits date back to 1999, when a woman claimed that long-term use of J&J powder led to her mesothelioma. In 2009, another woman sued the company, alleging that its talc-based products caused her ovarian cancer. In 2023, a 24-year-old man won a $18.8 million jury verdict in his suit against the company after he developed mesothelioma in the tissue around his heart as a result of heavy exposure to the company’s talc since childhood. In 2025, a Boston jury awarded a $42 million verdict to a man who asserted that his mesothelioma was caused by asbestos-laced baby powder.
J&J has been hit with over $4 billion in judgments to date and is trying to use a controversial legal maneuver called the Texas Two-Step in order to protect itself from the costs of talc powder lawsuits related to ovarian cancer. You can read Shepard O’Donnell’s founding partner, Michael Shepard’s, insights into the Texas Two-Step here, here, and here.
Contact a Mesothelioma Lawyer Today
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma and believe it may be linked to the use of talcum powder or other talc products, we encourage you to contact the mesothelioma legal team at Shepard O’Donnell. We’re here to listen to your story and will give you an honest assessment of whether we believe you have a viable claim. Our team maintains an extensive list of products that have been shown to contain asbestos, and we’ll ask the right questions to help determine where your exposure may have occurred.
There have already been numerous successful lawsuits brought by mesothelioma victims who were exposed to asbestos through the use of contaminated talcum powders. You may have a path to justice, and we’re here to help you find it.
