[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will completely stop the global sales of its baby powder starting in 2023. This decision comes amid ongoing controversy over the presence of carcinogenic substances in the main ingredient of the product.
According to recent major foreign media reports, J&J stated in a press release, "We have decided to replace all baby powder products with those containing cornstarch."
This move is analyzed as a response to the carcinogenic controversy surrounding the existing products made with talc.
Talc is a natural mineral characterized by its smooth texture and soft hardness. Especially, high-purity talc is used as a primary ingredient in cosmetics and baby powder.
The problem lies in the asbestos contained in talc. Asbestos is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and long-term exposure to asbestos can cause lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and other diseases. It is known that asbestos contamination can occur during the processing of pure talc, which may lead to carcinogenicity.
In fact, there have been multiple cases where infants and women who used J&J’s talc-based baby powder developed various skin cancers and ovarian cancer.
As a result, numerous lawsuits have been filed against J&J by consumers. Their position is that they developed cancer due to products containing talc contaminated with asbestos. In 2020, a ruling ordered J&J to pay $2.1 billion (approximately 2.5 trillion KRW at the time) in damages to victims for selling baby powder containing the carcinogenic asbestos.
As the controversy escalated, product sales sharply declined. In May of the same year, due to the drastic drop in demand for talc baby powder, which became the target of numerous lawsuits over carcinogenic concerns, sales of the product were halted in North America, including the United States and Canada.
Meanwhile, J&J has continuously denied claims that its baby powder caused ovarian cancer or mesothelioma. Even while announcing the global discontinuation of talc baby powder sales on this day, the company maintained that the product itself is safe.
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