On Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson announced that it would stop selling its talc-based Baby Powder in the United States and Canada, making the decision after a consumer products “portfolio reassessment related to COVID-19.”
J&J faces more than 16,000 lawsuits from consumers claiming its talc products, including Johnson’s Baby Powder, caused their cancer. The majority are pending before a U.S. district judge in New Jersey.
The lawsuits allege that the company’s talc products have been contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen. J&J said it ”remains steadfastly confident in the safety of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder,” citing “decades of scientific studies.”
“Demand for talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in North America has been declining due in large part to changes in consumer habits and fueled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising,” J&J said in a statement.
For those unaware, J&J said it will continue to sell the cornstarch-based baby powder in North America, and that it will sell both its talc- and cornstarch-based products in other markets around the world.
Johnson & Johnson knew about Asbestos in baby powder for more than 30 years