Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced Thursday (Aug. 11) that it will stop selling talc-based baby powder worldwide next year. This comes more than two years after the company halted sales of the product in the United States due to a lawsuit over consumer safety.
“As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio,” it said, adding “that cornstarch-based baby powder is already sold in countries around the world.”
J&J announced it will stop selling talc-based baby powder in the U.S. and Canada in 2020 due to a sharp decline in demand. The reason is consumer misinformation about the safety of the product. The company is facing numerous lawsuits.
J&J is facing 38,000 lawsuits from consumers alleging that talc-based baby powder products cause cancer because they are contaminated with asbestos, a carcinogen.