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Is Talc a Dangerous Cosmetic Ingredient to Avoid?

Are there ingredients in your skin care, hair care and makeup products that are cancer causing? Take a look at one of your beautiful eye shadow palettes or maybe your face powder or powder blush. Go ahead take a look. Do you see talc? 

talc in cosmetics
Most likely, it's listed right near the beginning of the ingredient list which means there is a significant amount in the product. 

Remember the Johnson and Johnson talcum powder lawsuits and that it was then recommended that women should stop using body powder's containing talc because women were getting ovarian cancer linked to talc? 

We switched to cornstarch powder years ago at the salon when we do bikini waxing and body waxing for the safety of our clients.

What is Talc?
Talc is a clay mineral composed mainly of magnesium, silicon and oxygen that is mined from the earth. Sound safe right? It absorbs moisture and oil, has a soft silky feel, makes makeup products opaque and has anti caking properties.  

So how can talc cause cancer? 
Talc that is contaminated with asbestos in the mining process causes cancer.  There are many countries that mine talc. Countries that produce talc include China, South Korea, India, The United States, Finland, Brazil, France, Italy, Russia, Canada, Austria and Japan. Lots of places! I'm sure some countries are more careful in the mining process than others. Just so you know, the FDA does not regulate cosmetic grade talc or other cosmetic ingredients.

Is all talc contaminated?
No. It is possible to mine talc to prevent asbestos contamination.

How do you know if the talc in your eye shadow or other powder makeup products is contaminated? 
You don't know, unless you are buying from companies that actually oversee the mining process for their ingredients, require their suppliers to certify that their talc is asbestos free, and routinely test their ingredients for contaminants.

Buy beauty products from clean beauty companies! 
When you buy from clean beauty companies that focus on product safety and the safety of their ingredients, you won't have to worry about contaminated talc or other cosmetic ingredients that could can be contaminated. Their ingredients are routinely tested for impurities and/or are purchased from reputable suppliers that certify the purity their ingredients.

What does clean beauty mean?

Are there other cosmetic ingredients that can be contaminated? 
Yes. Any ingredient that is mined can potentially be contaminated depending on how and where it is mined. Two commonly used mined cosmetic ingredients are mica and iron oxides.

Mica is a very common ingredient found in makeup. It creates the beautiful shimmer in eye shadows, highlighters and other illumining products. It's a natural ingredient that is mined from the earth and can be contaminated with lead, manganese, chromium and aluminum.  

Iron Oxides are natural pigments used in cosmetics that are a mined cosmetic ingredient that can be contaminated with lead and other heavy metals.

Read about lead in lipstick

Why are clean beauty products more expensive?
Safer, high quality beauty products will generally cost more due to the extensive measures these companies take to ensure the safety of their products. Cheaper ingredients make cheaper products.

I think it's worth paying more for a better, safer products. I don't want any chance of cancer or lead poisoning due to my beauty products! 

I have used all kinds cosmetic brands in the past at all price points. Now I choose to buy high quality products from cosmetic companies that make safe, healthy ingredients a priority. And, of course, the brands I recommend are cruelty free.

Some brands are also fighting for laws to regulate the beauty industry so every beauty product, no matter where we would buy it and what it would cost, would be safe from harmful ingredients. They want to make safer products available to everyone. That is important to me. I hope it's important to you too!


Are there Talc Free Clean Beauty Brands?
Yes. There are many clean and natural beauty brands that have formulated their products without talc. These brands still contain mica and iron oxides but because they focus on ingredient safety, their products are free of or have minimal contaminants.

Here are a few of them along with Amazon shopping links for your purchasing and browsing pleasure:


RMS
RMS is a natural, non toxic, clean ingredient, talc free brand transparent about their ingredients
Shop for RMS

Gabriel, Zuzu Luxe
Gabriel Cosmetics, which includes Zuzu Luxe, is an organic, natural, talc free, non toxic brand transparent about their ingredients. Made in USA.
Shop for Gabriel and Zuzu

Ilia
Ilia is a clean beauty brand using safe natural and synthetic ingredients, it's talc free, and is transparent about their ingredients.
Shop for Ilia

Vapour
Vapour is a clean, green brand using responsibly sourced natural and organic ingredients and is talc free.
Shop for Vapour

W3ll People
W3ll People is a natural brand using premium natural ingredients. They make their products in small batches and they are talc free. Made in USA.
Shop for W3ll People

Honeybee Gardens
Honeybee Gardens is an affordable talc free natural brand who donates monthly to no kill animal shelters. 💙
Shop for Honeybee Gardens


I hope this post has provided you with a little beauty tidbit you didn't know before. 
Visit, like and follow the Ricci Crafting Company Facebook Page for handcrafted wood and fiber gifts!
ricci crafting company

       Have a Safe Beauty Day! 

xo
Licensed Cosmetologist, Esthetician, Makeup Artist

 Wedding, special occasion or everyday makeup and skin care services available in the Philadelphia, Pa. area. Visit my makeup page for more information!

PS: Thanks for using my amazon links!💋
I receive a small commission that keeps my blog running and supports the care of animals in need!😸

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