Talc

Talc is a naturally occurring mineral that is used on its own as talcum powder and as an ingredient in a range of products.

The use of talcum powder dates back to the 1890s. It is now commonly used in many different beauty and personal care products, as well as some home, food and pharmaceutical products. Talc is very good at absorbing moisture and it can improve the feel and texture of a product.

Unilever only uses talc which meets high standards for quality and safety, respecting all applicable laws and regulations as well as meeting our own safety assessments.

Your questions answered

Are your products containing talc safe to use?

Yes. The safety of talc is backed by decades of scientific evidence. In addition to complying with applicable laws and regulations, we also conduct our own safety assessments and monitor emerging scientific research.

I heard there can be asbestos in talc, is that correct?

We ensure that there is no asbestos in the talc that we use.

Do your products cause cancer?

No, we would not put a product onto the market if we thought its use could cause cancer. We look at the safety of our products very carefully, and our Safety, Environmental and Regulatory Science team keeps up to date with new scientific information on our ingredients to help keep our consumers safe. 

We have evaluated all the available evidence and have determined that the use of talc in our products continues to be safe. There is no credible evidence for a link between the use of asbestos-free talc and any type of cancer in humans.

What is your opinion on the recent World Health Organization (WHO) and European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) decisions to classify talc as “probably/presumed to be carcinogenic”?

We acknowledge both agencies’ scientific review and their commitment to public health. It is important to note that the WHO and ECHA decisions do not assess health risk. To understand if an ingredient could cause a health risk, safety assessments are conducted and consider other factors including how people are actually exposed to talc. Our Unilever safety assessments for talc, which take into account the information used by both ECHA and WHO in their opinions, our specific uses of talc and how consumers are exposed, show that our uses of talc are safe.

You can learn more about how we keep people and the environment safe here: Keeping people and the environment safe | Unilever.