The pharmaceutical giant, Johnson & Johnson has announced that it will cease making its well-known talc-based baby powder globally from 2023.
Following tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its talc products caused people to develop cancer, the company will switch to a cornstarch-based baby powder instead.
In 2020, in the US and Canada, Johnson & Johnson discontinued the sale of its talc-based baby powder following a 2019 recall of bottles. Global sales of the product will stop next year, though cornstarch is already being used as a replacement in countries around the world.
Over 40,000 lawsuits have been filed against the company, from people who have alleged that Johnson & Johnson sold its talc-based baby powder while being aware of its links to health risks. The US Food and Drug Administration found trace amounts of asbestos in the powder, prompting a voluntary recall of a batch of 33,000 bottles by the company though it maintains the product does not cause cancer.
