by Carol Shaw-Sutton

Created on: February 03, 2009

If there is any cosmetic product you may want to stop using, or at least avoid as much as possible, this product would be talc.

Talc is found in most pressed powders. Sometimes talc can also be found in eyeshadow, even foundation, loose powders, and talcum powder. It is closely associated with asbestos and is is said to be carcinogenic; however, everyone tends to shrug their shoulders when the issue comes up and usually remark about how people have been using talc for ages now and no one has died from using talc.

The problem is, have there been any real studies on human beings, tracking those who use talc down as compared to those who don't for at least ten years or more? Testing on animals is abhorrent and doesn't always bring up valid results, so it would be best to follow the tracks of women who do use talc versus those who do not, but it would be an extremely difficult task to complete, and probably very complex and time-consuming for the guinea pigs.

What I don't understand is the love affair with talc itself. It tends to look cakey and heavy and sometimes isn't even comedogenic. The worst aspect of talc in cosmetics would be those who use it on or around the eyes. I can't imagine how damaging this might be to the ocular region.

I have used products with talc, and I still have some that I am finishing up. Perhaps this sounds hypocritical, but I am like anyone else - I don't want to throw away something I already paid for. The only time I really have a major problem with talc is when I dust it around and inhale it by accident. I used to have a loose powder by Anna Sui that made me cough and gag for several minutes, and DHC's Washing Powder (which contains talc), also has this effect on me. Talc-free powders though, do not.

This is kind of disturbing if you think about it. My sister also has the same reaction to products with talc. Strangely enough, I had this reaction before I even knew what talc was or that it was even in the product I was using. It's just one of those coughs that comes on suddenly, a "dry" hacking cough that doesn't stop. The talc in cosmetics can do this, and here is why . . .

Talc is the product of the mining of talc rocks and the minute fibers left over from this process are very similar to asbestos; cosmetic talc still remains unregulated to this day, which is why it's important to check if your talcum powder or cosmetics contain it. Women have used this product for feminine hygeine and it's been discovered to cause ovarian cancer. It is also linked to lung cancer.

Using this product on children it also a grave hazard and should be avoided by all means because of its toxicity and potential carcinogenic compounds.

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