Which Companies Continue to Sell Talc-Based Baby Powders? 

For decades, doctors and scientists have raised concerns that using talc-based powders is leading to ovarian cancer and respiratory disease like mesothelioma. In fact, thousands of women have sued Johnson & Johnson (J&J) — manufacturers of one of the most popular baby powders on the market – for the negative impacts that use of its baby powder has had on their health. (And increasingly they are winning those cases!) So after years of denial and doubling down, J&J finally decided in 2020 to reformulate its baby powder in the U.S., replacing the talc with safer cornstarch.

This made us wonder – just how late is J&J to the party? They have only just announced (May 2020) that they will reformulate in the U.S. – and plan to *sell down any existing talc-based powder currently on store shelves until it’s gone. And, outrageously, Johnson & Johnson refuses to stop selling its talc-based powder in other countries.

But how does J&J’s decision compare to other companies selling talc-based powders?

To get the answer, we took a look at our list of 28 powder products we identified in a 2017 blog that — at the time — still contained talc. 

Overall WVE’s data found a significant shift in the body powder market – 22 of the 28 products (78%!) originally identified in 2017 as containing talc are now either off the market, or reformulated with cornstarch.