US FDA panel recommends banning talc powder amid rising health fears

The US FDA has invited experts to discuss the dangers of talc in cosmetics, with the international panel unanimously favoring a ban. The EU will ban the powder in 2027 due to its health risks when applied to the skin or ingested. The FDA commissioner, Martin Makary, stressed that the US should follow the EU’s lead on the ban.  

During the panel, attended by Personal Care Insights, Makary, said: “I am amazed that for 40 years [talc] has been recognized to be a carcinogen, yet we scratch our heads and wonder why we are seeing gastrointestinal cancers increase in young people, and we never stop to think about the existing body of scientific evidence that has been there.”  

Concerns have arisen that talc from personal care products can travel through the body, stay in tissue, and cause serious health effects.

“Although it may not be the main driver of chronic disease, the cause of cancer in young people, or the full explanation, [talc] is highly likely contributing to it, according to the evidence presented by the panel,” said Makary. 

Cramer stressed that society can’t wait another 30 years to realize all the harms of talc.Lack of action, not science

Daniel Cramer, professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, US, said his first study on talc and its association with ovarian cancer was published in 1982. However, he says it took over 30 years for the dangers to be appreciated and action taken to remove talc from baby powders. 

“We can’t wait another 30 years to realize all the harms of talc. We need to take action now with safer alternatives,” stressed Cramer at the FDA meeting. 

Other experts at the panel stressed that talc may present other unknown health risks, questioning why existing alternatives are not being used already. 

Makary said that he has been to many conferences on cancer, general medicine, and pediatrics, and not once have any of these issues been discussed.

“At the FDA, we should not only be interested in chemotherapy and surgery, but we should be interested in root causes and chemicals,” he said.

The biological routes talc takes when travelling through the body were also discussed. The panel agreed that talc is scientifically proven to travel through the body and stay there.

John Joseph Godleski, professor of pathology at Emeritus, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said there is always a threat from cosmetics, such as face powders, that talc could be inhaled.

“Just scraping a rouge or putting a powder onto your face creates quite an aerosol of small articles that can be inhaled, so it is important to note that talc can enter the lungs,” he explained.

Other experts on the panel further stressed that talc is likely ingested when applying face products close to the mouth or when using fingers for application, as it may later be ingested with food.

The panel highlighted that talc is scientifically proven to travel throughout the body and stay there.Talc powder lawsuits

Cramer referenced the lawsuits of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) baby powder during the meeting. The company’s baby powder included talc until 2023, when it reformulated its powder to use corn starch. The move followed the Talcum Powder Compensation Center urging US consumers of J&J’s Baby Powder to reach out to a legal team for “millions of dollars” as compensation.

J&J has maintained that its talc-based baby powder is safe. In October 2024, the pharmaceutical company was forced to pay US$15 million to a resident in Connecticut, US, who said he developed mesothelioma after using the company’s talc powder for decades. 

J&J also agreed to pay US$700 million to residents across 40 US states to resolve allegations that it did not warn consumers about possible health risks associated with its baby powder.

“We must carefully ensure the message gets to patients when reading sponsored studies. Because many papers suggest that talc increases the risk of ovarian cancer, but some suggest it is perfectly safe,” stressed Cramer.

The FDA commissioner added, “We need to take a serious look into all chemicals. The scientific communities have been waving a flag for decades, saying stop and take a look around.”

An expert on the panel concluded that no one is to blame for the widespread use of talc in everyday products, but action must now be taken to mitigate the health risks.