Talc
Talcum · hydrous magnesium silicate · CI 77718
What it is
A soft mineral mined from the earth, used as an absorbent, anti-caking, anti-friction powder in baby powder, body powder, and loose makeup. Its problem is geological: talc and asbestos form in the same deposits, so mined talc can carry asbestos.
In this product: Absorbs moisture, prevents caking and chafing, adds slip and opacity. In baby powder it was the original moisture-and-friction control before cornstarch replaced it.
Dose & route, what actually matters
Two routes matter: inhaling the fine powder (lung), and perineal/genital application (the ovarian-cancer question). Honest calibration: the ovarian-cancer epidemiology is real but limited and debated (pooled case-control risk around 1.3, some cohort studies null). The cleaner, harder concern is asbestos contamination, because you cannot reliably prove a given batch is asbestos-free, and there is no safe level of asbestos.
EUROPEAN UNION
Restricted under EU Cosmetics Regulation Annex III (prohibited in the genital/anal area for children under 3, must be verified asbestos-free). The ECHA Risk Assessment Committee classified talc CMR Category 1B (Sept 2024); as a 1B substance it is expected to be banned from EU cosmetics by 2027.
UNITED STATES
Not banned. The FDA tests cosmetic talc for asbestos but found asbestos in a J&J lot in 2019 (33,000-bottle recall); a proposed standardized-testing rule was issued in 2024 and then withdrawn in November 2025.
The evidence
In 2024 IARC reclassified talc as Group 2A, probably carcinogenic to humans, citing limited human evidence for ovarian cancer, sufficient animal evidence, and strong mechanistic evidence (chronic inflammation).
regulatory · 2024 · source
The EU's ECHA classified talc CMR Category 1B; as a 1B carcinogen it is prohibited in cosmetics, with an EU cosmetics ban expected by 2027.
regulatory · 2024 · source
Both talc and asbestos are naturally occurring minerals found in close proximity, so talc can be contaminated with asbestos; FDA testing found asbestos in a Johnson's Baby Powder lot in 2019.
regulatory · 2019 · source
California Prop 65: Talc (containing asbestos) and asbestos are listed under California Prop 65.
How to avoid it
Choose cornstarch-based powders (the industry already switched) and talc-free makeup. On a label talc may appear as 'talc,' 'talcum,' or 'CI 77718.' Loose powders, blushes, and eyeshadows are the other common sources beyond baby powder.
Where it hides
Editorial analysis of publicly available regulatory and peer-reviewed sources. Not medical advice. We name our evidence and link it, including when an ingredient is fine.