Is Talc in Makeup Bad for You? - Byrdie

"The concern with cosmetic talc in makeup and hygiene products is when it is inhaled, as it might cause respiratory problems and lung disease. FACEBOOK PINTEREST EMAILSHARE Makeup Face IsTalcinMakeupBadforYou?ACosmeticChemistGivesIttoUsStraight Acosmeticchemistanddermatologistweighin. By DacyKnight DacyKnight Instagram Pinterest Twitter DacywaspreviouslyaneditoratByrdieandisnowacontributorcoveringskincare.HerworkhasappearedinWhoWhatWear,WWD,InStyleandBustle. Byrdie'sEditorialGuidelines UpdatedonNov24,2021 Medicallyreviewedby DendyEngelman,MD,FACMS,FAAD Medicallyreviewedby DendyEngelman,MD,FACMS,FAAD Facebook Instagram DendyEngelman,MD,FACMS,FAADisaboard-certifieddermatologicsurgeonandlecturerbothintheU.S.andintheglobalarena. ABOUTBYRDIE'SBEAUTY&WELLNESSBOARD Board-CertifiedDermatologist Factcheckedby MichelleRegalado Factcheckedby MichelleRegalado Twitter MichelleRegaladoisaseasonededitor,fact-checker,andcontentstrategistwithexpertiseinwomen'slifestylenews. LEARNABOUTBYRDIE'SEDITORIALGUIDELINES FACEBOOK PINTEREST EMAILSHARE KarlyJones/Unsplash Whetherit'sthefoodweeatortheformulasweapplytoourskin,weallseekproductsthat—whilebeneficialtoourbeautyneeds—arehealthy,notharmful.Withfood,it'salittlemoreclear.Naturally,apieceoffruitismorenaturalandbetterforyouthanabagofchips.Butwithbeauty,navigatingwhat'shealthyandwhat'sharmfulisnotassimple.We'vebeenwarnedofthedangersofparabensandphthalates,buttherearetonsofotheringredientsinbeautyproductsweapplytoourfaceseveryday.Oneingredientthathasbeencalledintoquestionistalc. UponvisitingCoverFXinLosAngelestolearnmoreaboutwhatgoesintothebrand'spopularformulations—includingplayingchemistandtryingmyhandatmakingsomeofmyownproducts—Ifoundoutthatthebranddoesn'tusetalcinanyofitspowders.Myknowledgeofthemineralwaslimitedatbest,butIhadreadaboutitspossibletieswithcancerandconcernsoverwhetheritspresenceincosmeticscouldbemakingpeoplesick.SoIfollowedupwithVictorCasale,theco-founderandchiefchemistofCoverFX,tohearwhyhechosetoditchthecontroversialingredient—andwhathesaidwasnotwhatIexpected. Below,learnmoreabouttalcinmakeup,andseewhatbeautyindustryveteranVictorCasaleandboard-certifieddermatologist Dr.PurvishaPatelhavetosayabouttheingredient. MeettheExpert VictorCasaleistheco-founderandformerchiefchemistofCoverFX.Heisnowtheco-founderandCEOofMOBBeauty. Dr.PurvishaPatelisaboard-certifieddermatologistandfounderofVishaSkincare.  Beforeevendoingadeepdiveintowhethertalcisharmfulincosmetics,Casalewantedtosetafewthingsstraightaboutmakeupandsafety.Oneofthebiggestmisconceptionssurroundstheideaofnaturalproducts."Whenyouusetheword'natural,'it'sallrelative,andit'ssubjective,"notesCasale."WhatIliketosayisthatweshouldbetalkingaboutthedegreesofnaturalness." AlisonCzinkota/BYRDIE Whenyouusetheword'natural,'it'sallrelative,andit'ssubjective,notesCasale.WhatIliketosayisthatweshouldbetalkingaboutthedegreesofnaturalness. Evenso,asachemist,Casaleunderstandsthatevennaturalproductscanbeharmfultotheskinandhealth,whilesyntheticscanbemoreeffectiveandmuchsafer."Peoplecareaboutthenaturalnessoftheirmakeup,butmostofthemedicationstheytakearesynthetic." Soinsteadofprioritizingnaturalingredients,Casaleconsiderseachingredient'sactualeffectsontheskinandbodytorankthesafetyofitsuse."AtCoverFX,whatIdoislookattheingredients—Idon'tlookatthedegreesofnaturalness,"explainsCasale."Ilookforsafety,toxicity,odor,effectiveness,stability,andsustainabilityofthesources."Heunderscoresthatthegoalistoproducequalityproductsthataresafeforpeople."It'sabalanceofusingscience,nature,andwhattechnologyisavailable." WhatisTalc? Talcisanaturalmineral—thesoftestmineralonrecord—andisusedineverythingfrompaintstotextilestodrugsto,youguessedit,cosmetics."Butincosmetics,specifically,welookforsuppliersthatmineitinitspurestform,"explainsCasale.Thenaturallyoccurringmineralisextractedfromopen-pitminesintheU.S.andaroundtheworld."It'smilleddownveryeasily,andit'susedasanexpenderinourrepertoire."Inotherwords,it'sadilutantthat'spairedwithpigmentforthedesiredeffect."Ifyoutakesomeofthatpigment,andyouputitonyourhand,it'sintense.Youhavetodiluteit.Youcan'tsellitthatconcentrated.Talcisthedilutant." Dr.PurvishaPatelexplains,"Talcisverywaterabsorbentandhasbeenusedforcenturiestohelptheskininareasofmoistureandtohelppreventskinbreakdownandinflammation."Thepowderisalsowell-knownforitsabilitytoabsorboilandreduceshine.  Casale,whoalsoco-foundedMAC,hasbeenusingtalcsincehestartedintheindustry."Thirtyyearsago,that'swhateverybodyused,"hesays.WhenhewasformulatingMAC'sStudioFixpowderfoundation,stilloneofitsbestsellers,Casaleusedtalc."Theproblemwithtalc,asIlearnmoreandmoreandhavemoreexperiencewithit,isthatifyouputtalconyourhandbyitselfandrubitin,itneverreallydisappears.Youhaveawhite,chalkystainonyourhand."WhenCasalefirststartedinthecosmeticsindustry,"peoplelikedthatdrypowderlook,"herecalls."Todayit'snaturalglow—theywantittolooknatural,theydon'twantittolookcoveredup.Youwantyourbeautytocomethroughyourmakeup." SowhenCasalereformulatedeverythingintheCoverFXlinefiveyearsago,"Iputmyfootdownandsaidwe'renotusingtalc.It'stoochalky."Instead,Casaleoptedforultra-finemica.Themineralissimilartotalcbutisusedtocreatethefrostinyourlipstickoreyeshadow.Whenyoubreakdownmica,itbreaksdownflat—likeamirror—so,dependingontheparticlesize,youcangofromclubglittertofrostytoilluminatingtojustglowy."Whenyourubmicaintoyourskinpure,itdisappears,"describesCasale."Sonow,whenI'mformulating,Icandilutethecolor,butitwon'tcreateachalkyfinishonyourskin.Mydecision[toditchtalc]wasn'tmadeforsafetyconcerns—thatcamelater." KeyIngredients Micaisanaturally-occurringmineralthat,whenground,producesmicapowder.Thepowdergivesoffapearly,sparklysheen,whichiswhyit'sapopularingredientinmanyhighlightersandeyeshadows. IsTalcSafe? TalcstartedbecomingcontroversialwhenJohnson&Johnsonwasorderedtopay$72millionindamagestothefamilyofawomanwhodiedfromovariancancerafter35yearsofusingtalcumpowderforfemininehygiene.Morecasesarelooming,yetthere'snodefinitiveanswerastowhethertalccanbeharmfulincosmetics,andmostbrandscontinuetousethemineraltothisday.AccordingtotheAmericanCancerSociety,whiletalcisadangerfortalcminersorotherworkerswhocomeincontactwithnatural,asbestos-contaminatedtalcfibers,ithasnotbeenestablishedasaconcernforcosmetics. TheDrawbacksofTalc Dr.Patelsaysmostskintypescantoleratetalc;however,thosewithsensitiveskincanseesomeirritationwhenusedinspecificareasontheirfaces."Thosethatmayhaveirritationwhenitisusedinthefoldsofskinarepeoplewhotendtohavesensitiveskinreactionsandhiveeasily.Therubbingoftheparticlesmaycauseincreasedirritationtothem."Hesaysthatthemainhealthissuewhenusingtalciswhathappenswhenthepowderisinhaled."Theconcernwithcosmetictalcinmakeupandhygieneproductsiswhenitisinhaled,asit mightcauserespiratoryproblemsandlungdisease.Itcanalsoirritatetheeyes." TheFinalTakeaway CasalehasreformulatedeverythingatCoverFXtobe100%freeoftalc.WhenCasalefocusesonthesafetyoftheingredientsinhisformulations,heconsidersthetoxicity."Icreatedapolicythatwewillnotformulateanyproductthathasahightoxicity,"hesays.HereferstotheEWGSkinDatabase,whichexistsonlineandasanapp,wheredermatologistsandtoxicologistsratethetoxicityofproductsonthemarket.Withtheexceptionofsunscreenandsalicylicacidtotreatacne,whichareactiveingredientsthatrankhigher,everythingCasaleusesinhisformulationsisinthesafezone. Beforewewrapthisstoryup,wewanttoshareafewtalc-freemakeupoptionstokeepinmindwhenit'stimetoreplaceaniteminyourmakeupbag. CoverFX PerfectorFacePalette $45.00 Shop Hereyouhaveapalettethatcandefine,highlight,addapopofcolor,andevenlockyourproductinwithoutreachingforanythingelse. CoverFX PerfectPressedSettingPowder $32.00 Shop Thistalc-freepowderwon'tcakeordryouttheskinthankstothekiwifruitwaterblendedintotheformula. CoverFX MatteSettingPowder $35.00 Shop Oilyskinbeautieswilllovethisoil-absorbing,pore-blurringformula.ThesettingpowderhelpsmattifytheskinwhilevitaminsC,E,andFaremeanttoprotecttheskinfromenvironmentalstressors.  CoverFX BlottingPowder $28.00 Shop Thekeytotouchingupyourmakeuponthegoistoblot,soyouwon'tenduppackingontoomuchpowder.Blottingpowderoffersthebestofbothworlds.You'llknockofftheshineandrefreshyourmakeupwithoutpowderoverload. CoverFX PressedMineralFoundation $38.00 Shop Lookingforatalc-freepressedpowderwithbuildablecoverageandaninclusiveshaderange?You'vemetyourmatchwiththiscompact. 9BeautyIngredientsThatAreBannedInEurope(ButLegalintheU.S.) ArticleSources Byrdietakeseveryopportunitytousehigh-qualitysources,includingpeer-reviewedstudies,tosupportthefactswithinourarticles.Readoureditorialguidelinestolearnmoreabouthowwekeepourcontentaccurate,reliableandtrustworthy. CaseyR,LarkinTP.Ovariancancerand"taintedtalc":whattreatingphysiciansneedtoknow. MoMed.2019;116(2):83-86. AmericanCancerSociety.Talcumpowderandcancer.UpdatedFebruary4,2020. RelatedStories CoverFX:BestProductsandBrandReview TitaniumDioxideforSkin:BenefitsandtheBestProducts IsododecaneforSkin:TheCompleteGuide HowtoReadYourSunscreenIngredientLabel:AGuide OctinoxateIsinManyofYourFavoriteSunscreens—WeAskedDermstoExplainWhy ISwappedMyPriceyTonerforaDIYVersion—andMySkinClearedUp 12Expert-ApprovedFoundationsforSensitiveSkin SettingPowdervs.SettingSpray:WhentoUseEachandHow 10MatteBlushestoAchievetheMostNaturalFlush ĀetherBeautyLaunchesaClean"GoldenSupernova"HighlighterFormulatedforDeepSkinTones "Slugging"IstheSkincareTrendGoingViralonReddit NoFilterNeeded:HereAretheBestSettingPowdersforOilySkin AskaDerm:IsOctocryleneanEffectiveSPFIngredient? 9PlacesYouShouldNeverForgettoApplySPF HowthePicktheRightFoundation,AccordingtoExperts ExpertsAgreeTheseAretheBestMakeupProductsforRosacea