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Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will no longer sell its popular yet controversial talc-based baby powder globally in 2023. The product has not been on the market shelves in the United States and Canada since two years ago.

According to Malay Mail, J&J has made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio, noting that cornstarch-based baby powder is already sold in countries around the world.

In 2020, J&J announced that it would stop selling its talc Baby Powder in the United States and Canada when the market demand has fallen due to misinformation about the product’s safety and a series of legal challenges.

The allegations centered on the presence of asbestos, a known carcinogen, in the popular talc Baby Powder.

To date, J&J faces about 38,000 lawsuits from consumers and their survivors who claimed the powder caused cancer.

An overview of Johnson’s talc Baby Powder. Image: TRP File

Is asbestos in the talc Baby Powder?

An investigation by Reuters in 2018 found that J&J knew for decades that asbestos was present in its talc products.

The investigation revealed that internal company records, trial testimony and other evidence from 1971 to the early 2000s showed that J&J’s raw talc and finished powder sometimes tested positive for asbestos in small amounts.

In response to the evidence of asbestos contamination, J&J has repeatedly said its products are safe and do not cause cancer.

According to Reuters, J&J said decades of scientific testing and regulatory approvals have shown that its talc powders do not contain asbestos.

Pending lawsuits paused

J&J spun off subsidiary LTL Management assigned its talk claims to it in October and immediately places it into bankruptcy, pausing the pending lawsuits.

However, consumers could try to use J&J’s decision to pull the products as evidence if a federal appellate court allows the case to move forward.

If the case does go forward, Ben Whiting, an attorney with the plaintiffs firm Keller Postman, said “it’s a very big deal.”

Before the bankruptcy filing, J&J faced costs from $3.5 billion in verdicts and settlements, including a case in which 22 women were awarded a judgement of more than $2 billion.

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