Johnson & Johnson Stops Selling Talc-Based Baby Powder in the United States

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talcum powder and bottle on black backgroundIn 1894, Johnson & Johnson began selling baby powder products in the United States that contained a crushed form of the mineral talc. For more than 120 years, Johnson & Johnson would continue to sell a talc-based baby powder product in the United States.

Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Sales End in 2020

On May 19, 2020, Johnson & Johnson announced that it would no longer ship talcum-based baby powder and other talcum-based products to the United States or Canada. The company called this a “commercial decision.” According to Johnson & Johnson:

  • Approximately 75% of its U.S. baby powder customers use the company’s cornstarch formula, which was introduced in the 1980s, and only 25% of its U.S. baby powder consumers continue to buy talcum-based baby powder.
  • Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder sales have dropped by about 60% since 2017. The company attributes the decreased sales to “misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising.”

Retailers may continue to sell the talcum-based products they currently have until their inventory is gone, but no new talcum-based products will be available in this country.

Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder Cancer Cases Continue

Since 2014, almost 20,000 lawsuits have been filed against Johnson & Johnson concerning their talc-based products. People—mostly women or their survivors—allege that they developed cancer after using the company’s talcum-based baby powder on their genitals.

For these women and their families, the cancer case against Johnson & Johnson is not over. In April 2020, a federal judge ruled that some of the plaintiffs’ experts would be allowed to testify, which, in effect, allowed the plaintiffs’ cases to move forward.

If you have ovarian cancer, or your loved one died from ovarian cancer, after regularly using a Johnson & Johnson talcum-based product, we encourage you to contact our experienced legal team as soon as possible for a free case evaluation. You may still have time to file a lawsuit and recover financial damages.

Johnson & Johnson is a multinational corporation with a legal team working hard on its behalf. You deserve the same benefit of legal counsel. Call us or fill our online contact form to have us contact you as soon as possible. Learn about your rights and our No Fee Policy today.