US FDA proposes mandatory asbestos testing in cosmetics with talc via Personal Care Insights

A newly proposed US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule would require mandatory asbestos testing in talc-containing cosmetics products. However, federal product testing has not highlighted any urgent safety issues. If finalized, the rule would standardize talc testing among personal care manufacturers and assure consumer safety under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA).

Talc is a mineral used in cosmetic products for its moisture-absorbing abilities, to improve the feel of a product and prevent caking. Asbestos, which is a known carcinogen, can contaminate talc during the mining process. Though asbestos contamination is a risk, recent federally-sponsored lab tests of approximately 50 talc-containing cosmetic products all proved safe and asbestos free.

“For many years, the FDA has been sampling and testing talc-containing cosmetics for asbestos as well as working with our federal partners on efforts to reduce consumers’ risk of exposure to asbestos, a known human carcinogen, from contaminated talc-containing cosmetic products,” says Linda Katz, director of the FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors.

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