J&J To Stop Global Sales of Talc-Based Products by 2023

This article was updated on Jan. 24, 2023.

Johnson & Johnson will stop selling talc-based baby powder globally in 2023. The move comes more than two years after it ended US sales of the formula that drew thousands of consumer safety lawsuits.

“As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio,” the company said in a statement. It also noted 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 US and Canada because demand had fallen in the wake of what it called “misinformation” about the product's safety amid a barrage of legal challenges.

The company faces about 38,000 lawsuits from consumers and their survivors claiming its talc products caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos, a known carcinogen.

J&J denies the allegations, saying decades of scientific testing and regulatory approvals have shown its talc to be safe and asbestos-free. On Thursday, it reiterated the statement as it announced the discontinuation of the product.

J&J spun off subsidiary LTL Management in October, assigned its talc claims to it and immediately placed it into bankruptcy, pausing the pending lawsuits. Those suing have said Johnson & Johnson should have to defend itself against the lawsuits, while defendants of J&J and the bankrupt subsidiary process say it is an equitable way to compensate claimants.

Before the bankruptcy filing, J&J faced costs from $3.5 billion in verdicts and settlements, including one in which 22 women were awarded a judgment of more than $2 billion, according to bankruptcy court records.

“The removal of Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based baby powder is a step in the right direction for the company to restore trust among risk-averse consumers who now more than ever seek trustworthy products and brands amid global uncertainty, noted Lia Neophytou, senior consumer analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. “The baby care category has seen somewhat of a revolution in recent years, with companies such as The Honest Company and Earth Mama Organics recognizing the value in positioning products as ‘natural’ with ‘free-from’ formulations.”

According to Neophytou, demand for such claims will not subside any time soon, as over two thirds (76%) of global parents pay high attention to the ingredients used in the products they buy for their children, and 79% of global consumers believe that “natural” product features are “essential” or “nice to have,” according to GlobalData’s Q1 2022 Global Consumer Survey.

“Johnson & Johnson’s decision to shift away from talcum powder to an ‘all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio’ starting next year will align with the ongoing demand for ‘natural’ formulations and reassure consumers that the firm is addressing their concerns—though Johnson & Johnson maintains that its original formulation is safe,” added Neophytou. 

Update: Jan. 24, 2023: In December 2022, LTL Management issued a complaint in which it claims Dr. Jacqueline Moline falsified aspects of a report that plaintiffs’ legal teams have been using to link baby powder to mesothelioma. The complaint was filed days before LTL was scheduled to appear in a New Jersey court related to the bankruptcy. The judge overseeing the case proceedings carried a motion for expedited discovery to Feb. 14, 2023.