Statement On FDA’s Withdrawal of Asbestos Testing Rule for Talc-Containing Cosmetics 

The decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to withdraw the proposed rule requiring mandatory asbestos testing for talc-containing cosmetics, announced quietly during the November holiday break, is deeply troubling.  

This history of asbestos, a known human carcinogen, runs deep. Talc deposits have long been known to be commonly contaminated with asbestos, and decades of evidence has proven and documented the danger.  Weave’s work in coalition with both national and international organizations brought worldwide attention to the use of talc in Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and the harms that resulted.  We became aware that some companies tested talc, found asbestos contamination, and continued to sell talc-based products without fully disclosing the risks to consumers.  We demanded change, and achieved a great win when Johnson & Johnson stopped selling talc-based baby powder in 2023. 

As a result, Congress passed landmark legislation, the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA), to move cosmetic safety out of the hands of corporations and into a transparent federal regulatory system. While MoCRA remains law, it has been undermined by the FDA’s withdrawal of this rule, delaying one of its most critical public-health protections. This withdrawal leaves consumers once again relying on voluntary, industry-led testing — an approach we already know does not work. Asbestos continues to be found in talc-containing cosmetics on store shelves, despite company claims that testing is in place to prevent contamination. That failure is exactly why this provision was included in MoCRA in the first place, because existing corporate practices were clearly not protecting consumers.
 

The long history of harm, resistance, and organizing that led to the passage of MoCRA held the promise of enforceable standards to ensure that talc-containing cosmetics are free from asbestos. That history makes this rollback especially alarming. What message does this send to the personal care industry and to the communities who have spent generations fighting for change? How can corporations be expected to prioritize health when the agency charged with protecting the public retreats from enforcement?  

FDA’s action sends a chilling signal: that even well-documented threats to health may be deprioritized – or simply dismissed, and that industry profits outweigh public safety. 

Weaving Voices for Health & Justice calls on the FDA to reinstate and finalize a strong, mandatory asbestos-testing rule and to uphold the promise of meaningful reform that MoCRA was meant to deliver. The FDA expressed plans to replace the rule in the future; however, the delay means cosmetics containing asbestos will remain on shelves, unnecessarily exposing consumers and shifting the burden of harm to families instead of manufacturers.