Johnson & Johnson has announced it will stop selling baby powder globally by 2023, more than two years after it ended sales in the US due to thousands of consumer safety lawsuits.
“As part of our worldwide portfolio review, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all-starch baby powder portfolio,” adding that Baby powder made from corn starch has been sold in countries around the world.
In 2020, J&J announced that it would stop selling its Baby Powder in the United States and Canada because of a drop in demand following what it called “misinformation” about the product’s safety amid the a series of legal challenges.
The company faces about 38,000 lawsuits from consumers and their survivors claiming their talc products cause cancer due to asbestos contamination, a known carcinogen.
J&J denies the allegations, saying decades of scientific testing and regulatory approval have shown its talc to be safe.
and does not contain asbestos.
On Thursday, it reiterated the statement when it announced the product discontinuation.
Sold since 1894, Johnson’s Baby Powder has become a symbol of the company’s family-friendly image.
But talcum powder has fallen out of favor with parents who are now choosing products containing other natural ingredients to use on their babies’ skin.
In October, J&J spun off its subsidiary LTL Management, assigned its talc claims to it and immediately placed it in bankruptcy, halting pending lawsuits.
Before filing for bankruptcy, the company faced costs of between $3.5 billion (£2.87 billion) in judgments and settlements, including one of which 22 women were sentenced. more than $2 billion (£1.64 billion), according to bankruptcy court filings.
A shareholder proposal calling for an end to the global sale of baby powder failed in April.
One year 2018 Reuters investigation discovered that J&J had known for decades that asbestos, a carcinogen, was present in its talc products.
Internal company records, court testimony, and other evidence show that from at least 1971 through the early 2000s, J&J’s raw and finished talcum powder sometimes tested positive for small amount of asbestos.
In light of the evidence of asbestos contamination presented in media reports, in courtrooms and on Capitol Hill, J&J has repeatedly stated that its talc products are safe and do not cause cancer.
