Johnson & Johnson talc-based baby powder will be discontinued globally in 2023 with the company announcing on Thursday it will transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio.
“We continuously evaluate and optimize our portfolio to best position the business for long-term growth,” said Johnson & Johnson in a press release. “This transition will help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation, and meet the needs of our consumers, customers, and evolving global trends.”
In 2020, the company announced it’s plans to stop selling the talc-based version in North America after a fall in demand after what the company said was “misinformation” about the product’s safety and legal challenges.
Despite a voluntary recall of more than 33,000 bottles of the talcum powder, Johnson & Johnson then and now maintains that the talc-based baby powder did not cause cancer.
“Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged. We stand firmly behind the decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirms talc-based JOHNSON’S® Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer.”
Johnson’s baby powder has been sold since 1894 and became a symbol of the company’s family-friendly image.
