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Talcum powder

How does talcum powder work?

The main ingredient of cosmetic talcum powder is talc, a natural, fine grained mineral that has a smooth soapy feel and comes in a range of colours including white, grey and green. As well as its use in cosmetics, talc is used in a whole range of other products, including lubricants and food additives. Only specially selected talc is used in cosmetic products.

To produce cosmetic talcum powder, selected natural talc from identified talc mines is purified and refined, giving it a softer, silky feel, and fragrance is usually added to give it a pleasant smell. Talc is made of millions of tiny, slippery mineral plates that glide easily over one another. It forms a soft barrier between the skin and clothing or nappies, reducing irritation caused by friction. Because cosmetic talc is a finely powdered mineral, talcum powder can also help to absorb excess moisture.

Is talcum power safe to use?

Although cosmetic talcum powder is very fine in texture and easily inhaled, the small amounts inhaled in normal use are safe and would not cause any long-term problems. However, parents should not let infants play with the talcum powder container since there is a risk of choking if the top comes off.

Some media reports have questioned whether talcum powder poses more serious health risks, suggesting it may be linked to cancer. In addition to the intensive testing that product manufacturers carry out, all independent scientific studies into this issue have concluded that there is no connection between cosmetic talc and any form of cancer.

There is no scientific evidence to suggest that cosmetic talcum powder is not safe to use on either adults or young children.

Where can I find out more?

If you want to find out about different types of ingredients in your products, visit what's in my cosmetic?

The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) is an association of manufacturers of cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery products, founded in 1945 to promote the interests of members, primarily with government. That remit has now extended to include the European Commission and many other regulatory bodies, national and international groups.

Members are manufacturers (full members), raw material suppliers and suppliers of services (associate members). Our Council is made up of senior industry representatives from small, medium, large and multi-national companies. Activities are funded through membership subscriptions.

The focus of our work centres on scientific, regulatory and legislative issues. We have a constant dialogue with the UK Government and this process is repeated at European level through COLIPA, the European trade body and internationally through an extensive network of national association contacts.

Visit the CTPA main website »

The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) is the voice of the cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery industry in the UK. Our members vary from small and medium-sized companies to large multi-nationals and include manufacturers, raw material suppliers and service providers.

Our primary goal is to promote good working practice to ensure that consumers are provided with the very best products. To this end, we co-ordinate the industry's viewpoint on key issues such as science, innovation and safety and maintain an open dialogue with government, both at UK and European level, as well as with international regulatory authorities and key opinion formers.

CTPA recognises that the consumer has a right to understand the processes that industry and the regulatory bodies go through to ensure the safety and efficacy of cosmetic and toiletry products. Over the years we have steadily increased our focus on providing the public with direct access to the industry's perspective and progress on safety, science and innovation.

In April 2008 we launched our consumer information website, www.thefactsabout.co.uk, which provides scientific facts about common ingredients used in cosmetics and the industry's perspective on common safety questions as well as information on how products are regulated to ensure safety and efficacy.

Further information on the work of the CTPA is available from our main website www.ctpa.org.uk which also houses the full set of legislation under 'Cosmetic regulations'.