Talc

What it is

Talc is a hydrated magnesium silicate, the softest mineral on the Mohs scale, mined and milled into a fine white powder. It gives cosmetics their characteristic silky slip and absorbs moisture, which is why it has been a staple of body powders and pressed powders for over a century. In face masks it appears occasionally as a bulking or texturising agent. Its safety story is dominated by two separate issues: what talc itself does, and what has historically been mined alongside it.

What it does well

• Gives a smooth, silky feel and reduces drag

  Talc's platy structure lets particles slide over one another, which is a genuine and hard-to-replace texture benefit. This is a formulation property, not a skin benefit.

  Strong evidence

• Absorbs moisture and oil

  Talc takes up sweat and sebum, which is why it was used to prevent chafing and to mattify. Modern alternatives such as rice starch, silica and cornstarch do much the same job.

  Moderate evidence

Worth knowing

• IARC classified talc as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A) in 2024

  An IARC working group meeting in June 2024 (Monographs Volume 136) placed talc in Group 2A on the basis of limited evidence for cancer in humans, sufficient evidence in experimental animals and strong mechanistic evidence in human primary cells. The human evidence concerns ovarian cancer in relation to powder applied to the genital area, plus occupational inhalation in mining and milling. Group 2A is a statement about the strength of evidence that a hazard exists, not a measure of how much risk a given product poses.

  Matters most toPeople who regularly use loose talc powder on the body, especially in the genital area.

• The ovarian cancer evidence is genuinely mixed

  Retrospective case-control studies have found relative risks around 1.24 to 1.35 for ever versus never genital powder use, but these designs are prone to recall bias. A prospective pooled analysis of 252,745 women across four cohorts published in JAMA in 2020 found a hazard ratio of 1.08 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.17), which was not statistically significant, though the authors noted it may have been underpowered to detect a small increase. The causal agent, if there is one, has not been identified.

  Matters most toAnyone weighing up long-term genital powder use; the data are much less relevant to occasional facial cosmetic use.

• Asbestos contamination of talc deposits

  Talc and asbestos can form in the same geological settings, and asbestos has been documented as a contaminant of some talc products. A 2020 case series in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine reported 33 mesothelioma patients whose only identified asbestos source was cosmetic talcum powder, with asbestos of the type found in talc recovered from tissue in the cases examined. IARC is explicit that asbestiform talc is not itself asbestos, but that asbestos is present in some deposits. Cosmetic talc sold in the EU must be asbestos-free - asbestos is a prohibited substance - and suppliers test for it, but this history is why talc remains contentious.

  Matters most toEveryone, though modern EU-sourced cosmetic talc is subject to asbestos testing.

• Loose powder must be kept away from infants' airways

  EU law requires powdery talc products intended for children under three to carry the warning 'Keep powder away from children's nose and mouth'. Aspiration of talc powder by infants can cause serious acute lung injury.

  Matters most toParents and carers of babies and toddlers.

Where the EU stands

Sources (3)

Every link goes to the original: a journal, a PubMed record or an EU document.

1. [1]
   IARC Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans, Volume 136: Talc and Acrylonitrile

   International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · 2025

   The working group classified talc as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A) on limited human evidence, sufficient animal evidence and strong mechanistic evidence, and noted that asbestiform talc is not asbestos but that asbestos contaminates some talc deposits and products.

2. [2]
   Association of Powder Use in the Genital Area With Risk of Ovarian Cancer

   JAMA · 2020 · doi:10.1001/jama.2019.20079

   In a prospective pooled analysis of 252,745 women, ever using powder in the genital area gave a hazard ratio of 1.08 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.17) for ovarian cancer - not statistically significant, though possibly underpowered for a small effect.

3. [3]
   Mesothelioma Associated With the Use of Cosmetic Talc

   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine · 2020 · doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000001723

   A case series of 33 mesothelioma patients whose only identified asbestos exposure was cosmetic talcum powder, with talc-associated asbestos found in the tissue of every case examined, supporting asbestos-contaminated talc as a cause.