Talc in cosmetics and consumer products - Mass.gov

Talc may be used in products to absorb moisture, prevent caking, improve consistency, or to make a product opaque. Talc is an ingredient used in ... AnofficialwebsiteoftheCommonwealthofMassachusetts    Here'showyouknow Officialwebsitesuse.mass.gov A.mass.govwebsitebelongstoanofficialgovernmentorganizationinMassachusetts. SecurewebsitesuseHTTPScertificate Alockicon( )orhttps://meansyou’vesafelyconnectedtotheofficialwebsite.Sharesensitiveinformationonlyonofficial,securewebsites. ExecutiveOfficeofHealthandHumanServices BureauofEnvironmentalHealth EnvironmentalHealthFactSheets Talcincosmeticsandconsumerproducts … Thispageislocatedmorethan3levelsdeepwithinatopic.Somepagelevelsarecurrentlyhidden.Usethisbuttontoshowandaccessalllevels. Thispage,Talcincosmeticsandconsumerproducts,is offeredby EnvironmentalToxicologyProgram showmore BureauofEnvironmentalHealth DepartmentofPublicHealth Talcincosmeticsandconsumerproducts Thisfactsheetanswerssomequestionsabouttalc,aningredientusedinmanycosmetics,suchasbabypowderandblush.DPHhasreceivedquestionsaboutthesafetyoftalcandwhetheritmaycontainharmfulcontaminants,suchasasbestos. Skiptableofcontents TableofContents Showtableofcontents+ TableofContentsHideTableofcontentsx ShowMoreTableofcontents top ShowTableofContents Whatistalc? Talcisanaturally-occurringmineralusedinsomeconsumerproducts,includingpersonalcareproductslikecosmetics.Puretalcandtalc-containingrockareminedfromtheearth.Talcismadeupofmagnesium,silicon,oxygenandhydrogen.Itsphysicalpropertiesmakeitoneofthesoftestnaturallyoccurringminerals.Therearedifferentgradesoftalc,withvaryingdegreesofpurity(orpresenceofotherminerals).Talcismilledtodifferentparticlesizes,withthefinesttalcusedincosmetics,pharmaceuticals,andsomefoodproducts. Whattypesofproductsmaycontaintalc? Talcmaybeusedinproductstoabsorbmoisture,preventcaking,improveconsistency,ortomakeaproductopaque.Talcisaningredientusedinpersonalcareproductssuchasloosepowders(e.g.,talcumpowder,babypowder,blush,eyeshadow),andinotherforms(e.g.,pressedpowder,liquidmakeup).Itisalsousedinsomefooditems,suchasriceandchewinggum,andtomanufacturepilltablets.Talcmayalsobeusedduringathleticorotheractivities(e.g.drumming). Doestalccontainasbestos? Iftalcminingsitesarenotselectedcarefully,talcmaybecontaminatedwithasbestos.Unliketalc,however,exposuretothemineralasbestosisknowntocausecancersinandaroundthelungs.Specificprocessingtechniquesandcarefulselectionofminingsitesarewaystopreventcontaminationoftalcwithasbestos. Isthereaconcernabouttalcandcancer? Startinginthe1960ssomehealthstudiesbegantosuggestapossibleassociationbetweentheuseofpowderscontainingtalcandtheincidenceofovariancancer. Whilestudiesconductedoverthepast60yearshaveraisedsimilarconcerns,aspecificlinkhasnotbeenestablished. Howisthesafetyofcosmeticsmonitored? Whilecosmeticsdonotundergofederalgovernmentrevieworapprovalpriortosale,manufacturersarelegallyresponsibleforthesafetyandproperlabelingofproductingredients.Federalregulatorsmonitorforpotentialproblemsandtakeactionwhenscientificdatashowsharmwhenaproductisbeingusedasintended. Whatisbeingdonetoinvestigateasbestosintalc-containingproducts? Inresponsetosafetyquestionsraisedabouttheuseofpowderscontainingtalcandthepossibleassociationwiththeincidenceofovariancancer,federalregulatorsconductedexploratorytestingforasbestosincosmeticproducts.Thetestingincludedanalysisof34cosmeticproductscontainingtalc(e.g.eyeshadow,blush,foundation,faceandbodypowder).Althoughlimitedbythenumberofproductstested,thesurveyresultsfoundnoasbestosinanycosmeticsamples.Recently,however,therewasarecallofabrandofcosmeticsduetoasbestoscontamination. Aretherewaystominimizeexposuretotalc? Federalregulatorsmonitorfornewinformationwhenpotentialpublichealthconcernsabouttalcareraised.Inthemeantime,consumersconcernedaboutthesafetyoftalc-containingproductsandpossibleexposuretoasbestosmaychoosetoavoid,limituse,ortryanalternative(e.g.cornstarch-basedpowder).Todetermineifaproductcontainstalc,theproductlabelcanbecheckedforthefollowingingredients–talc,talcumpowder,and/ormagnesiumsilicate. Dopediatricianshaveanyrecommendationsaboutusingtalc? TheAmericanAcademyofPediatricsdoesnotrecommendtheuseofbabyortalcumpowderonbabiesbecauseinhalationmayleadtobreathingproblems.Parentswithquestionsaboutuseofbabypowderonbabiesshouldconsultwiththeirpediatrician. AdditionalResources OpenPDFfile,203.45KB,for TalcinCosmetics&ConsumerProducts (PDF203.45KB) Contact BureauofEnvironmentalHealth + Phone Main (617)624-5757 TTY (617)624-5286 Fax (617)624-5777 Address 250WashingtonSt. 7thFloor Boston,MA02108 Directions  Datepublished: June1,2019 Related U.S.FoodandDrugAdministration1-888-INFO-FDA(1-888-463-6332)  Contact BureauofEnvironmentalHealth Phone Main (617)624-5757 TTY (617)624-5286 Fax (617)624-5777 Address 250WashingtonSt. 7thFloor Boston,MA02108 Directions  Related U.S.FoodandDrugAdministration1-888-INFO-FDA(1-888-463-6332)  Feedback Didyoufindwhatyouwerelookingforonthiswebpage? *required Yes No Doyouhaveanythingelsetotellus? Pleasetelluswhatyouwerelookingfor.*required Wewillusethisinformationtoimprovethesite. 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