Johnson & Johnson will discontinue talc-based baby powder next year and will instead use cornstarch.
Talc-based powder, which has not been sold in the United States and Canada since 2020, is at the center of tens of thousands of lawsuits brought by women who developed ovarian cancer after regular use of talc.
Johnson & Johnson says it remains confident in the product’s safety. But in a statement on Friday, the company said it would stop selling talc powder worldwide next year as part of a “global portfolio assessment.”
“We continually evaluate and optimize our portfolio to better position the business for long-term growth,” the company said in a statement.
“This transition will help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation and meet the needs of our consumers, customers and evolving global trends.”
A handful of talcum powder companies put warning labels on their products, but Johnson & Johnson argued that such a label would be confusing because it defended its product.
Some scientific studies have shown that women have an increased risk of ovarian cancer from using talc in the genital area, but others do not.
Lawsuits have been filed against the company alleging that asbestos in talcum powder causes cancer.
A jury from St. Louis issued a $4.7 billion verdict against the company in 2018, saying the company was negligent and failed to warn consumers of potential health risks from its talc.
“Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged. We are firmly behind decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirm Johnson’s Baby Powder talc is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer,” it said in Friday’s announcement.
Source: CNN Brasil
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