Johnson & Johnson to replace talc-based powder with cornstarch

Image credit: Bloomberg.com

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will stop manufacturing and selling its talc-based baby powder globally as of next year.

The healthcare behemoth stopped selling the product in the US before the announcement, which had been more than two years ago.

Asbestos-containing talcum powder is manufactured by J&J, according to tens of thousands of women who have filed lawsuits against the company. They contend that this asbestos exposure led to their development of ovarian cancer.

The company, however, reiterated its stance that years of independent research had shown the product’s safety.

Johnson’s baby powder, which is based on talc and is safe, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer, according to decades of independent scientific investigation by medical specialists from all around the world.

By 2020, J&J said it would stop selling its talc baby powder in the US and Canada because of what the company called “misinformation” about the product’s safety amid several legal issues.

At the time, the firm declared that it would continue to market and sell its talc-based baby powder in the UK and the rest of the world.

Customers and their survivors have sued J&J, alleging that the company’s talc goods had asbestos contamination and caused their cancer.

Talc is a mineral that is taken from the earth and found in seams near asbestos, which is thought to be harmful.

In response to proof of asbestos contamination shown in courtrooms, in media reports, and before US lawmakers, the business has continually denied the allegations.

J&J moved its talc claims to LTL Management after creating it as a subsidiary in October. Later, it filed for bankruptcy, ending the ongoing legal action.

Before filing for bankruptcy, the company was ordered to pay $3.5 billion (£2.87 billion) in judgments and settlements, including one in which 22 women were awarded verdicts totalling more than $2 billion.

A shareholder proposal to halt the global sale of talc baby powder was denied in April.

Johnson’s Baby Powder has been on the market for approximately 130 years and has come to symbolise the company’s dedication to families.

Baby powder, which is also used aesthetically and as a dry shampoo, can prevent diaper rash.