Is Talcum Powder Safe?

The FDA's main concern is asbestos. It says talc and asbestos are both naturally occurring minerals that may be found close together in the earth, and that unlike talc, asbestos is a known carcinogen when inhaled. In its 2023 sampling assignment, the FDA tested talc-containing cosmetic products using polarized light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy and says asbestos was not detected in any of the 50 samples tested. That is the FDA's result for those samples, not a finding of ours about any product.

On ovarian cancer, the FDA says published scientific literature going back to the 1960s has suggested a possible association between using talc-containing powders in the genital area and ovarian cancer, but that these studies have not conclusively demonstrated such a link, or what risk factors might be involved if one existed.

Federal testing rules are unsettled. On December 26, 2024, the FDA announced a proposed rule to require standardized testing methods for detecting asbestos in talc-containing cosmetics, and it withdrew that proposal as of November 28, 2025, saying comments received warranted further consideration before issuing final regulations. In the courts, Johnson & Johnson announced that on March 31, 2025, the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas denied its subsidiary Red River Talc LLC's request to confirm a proposed prepackaged bankruptcy plan.

Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.

The sources behind this answer

  • Government sourceThe FDA says asbestos was not detected in any of the 50 talc-containing cosmetic samples it tested in its 2023 sampling assignment, using polarized light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. US FDA ↗
  • Government sourceThe FDA says talc and asbestos are both naturally occurring minerals that may be found close together in the earth, and that unlike talc, asbestos is a known carcinogen when inhaled. US FDA ↗
  • Government sourceThe FDA says literature going back to the 1960s has suggested a possible association between genital use of talc-containing powders and ovarian cancer, but these studies have not conclusively demonstrated such a link. US FDA ↗
  • Regulatory filingThe FDA announced a proposed rule on December 26, 2024 to require testing methods to detect and identify asbestos in talc-containing cosmetic products. US FDA ↗
  • Regulatory filingThe FDA withdrew its proposed asbestos testing rule for talc-containing cosmetics as of November 28, 2025, saying comments received warrant further consideration before issuing final regulations. Federal Register, via GovInfo ↗
  • Brand statementJohnson & Johnson announced that on March 31, 2025 the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas denied its subsidiary Red River Talc LLC's request to confirm a proposed prepackaged bankruptcy plan. Johnson & Johnson ↗

Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.

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