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And according to some authorities, "Natural doesn't mean safe." I'm with Rosie. Everything's dangerous these days... My BN translucent powder has talc in it, but I haven't had any issues so far...
Is Talc bad in face powders?
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I see this thread is several months old, but in case anyone comes stumbling across here like I did doing a google search, I want to warn against simplistic websites like the one posted here in this thread which has a very simplified FAQ as to the danger of talcum powder (you'll have to look back for it, sorry I can't post links yet)
Not that it should be ignored, but that website has a biased POV. The problem is many cancer research sites already have an idea of what is "bad" and knowingly or unknowingly gravitate towards the studies that support them. For example many groups are eager to tout the damages extreme sun exposure can cause and recommend sunscreen, but spend no time studying how chemicals in sunscreen can be more harmful, nor trying to understand why a generation that grew up on sunscreen is still getting skin cancer.
That faq uses some scare tactics: for example, "processing . . . does not separate minute fibers which are very similar to asbestos." does not really tell us much. Which asbestos fibers is it similar to? And just how much does that mean on it's own, not processed as asbestos? Poppy seeds, codeine, and heroin all come from the same plant, but no one would claim a poppy seed muffin to be as bad for your body as doing heroin, nor would most people deny the medical value of using regulated codeine in certain medical situations.
And by saying :"Talc is toxic." It doesn't tell us the toxicity level. Lots of things are toxic. Soy is toxic. Too much soy can be hugely bad for you. In small amounts it can be healthy. What matters is the toxicity level. How much of something causes a problem.
I'm not saying talc is completely problem-free either. For my son, I know I used cornstarch powder rather than talc, for diaper changing. Better safe than sorry, especially since dumping powder onto the diaper area lets a lot more puff into the air and it is the breathing in that is dangerous. For many women, talc in pressed, or even loose powder may or may not be a problem. With pressed, and even with loose, we use a brush or pad and rub the mixture (not pure unmixed talc) onto skin, it doesn't puff into the air in the same way as squeezing or shaking a baby powder bottle.
as to whether it causes breakouts, that probably depends on the individual. But as a carcinogen, it probably comes down to moderation. To go back to the sun, we need sun. for one we absorb vitamin D differently from the sun than from dairy or vitamin pills, and there have also been studies that show getting some regular sunlight can prevent depression episodes. But too much of a good thing, and we damage our skin with it.
ETA: I did some more googling and actually have found some studies that doubt it is naturally a carcinogenic even as an inhalant! The study that resulted in animals getting tumors involved forcing rats to inhale the talc for 6 hours a day at a much higher density than makeup and powder uses. It is quite likely that they got cancer because the test overloaded the bodies natural ability to regulate. Remember when they sold us that caffeine was a dangerous carcinogenic because rats got cancer when given caffeine? Then come to find out, the doses were so high it would be like a human consuming multiple boxcars full of coffee a day? moderation, is most often the key to being healthy.
Not that it should be ignored, but that website has a biased POV. The problem is many cancer research sites already have an idea of what is "bad" and knowingly or unknowingly gravitate towards the studies that support them. For example many groups are eager to tout the damages extreme sun exposure can cause and recommend sunscreen, but spend no time studying how chemicals in sunscreen can be more harmful, nor trying to understand why a generation that grew up on sunscreen is still getting skin cancer.
That faq uses some scare tactics: for example, "processing . . . does not separate minute fibers which are very similar to asbestos." does not really tell us much. Which asbestos fibers is it similar to? And just how much does that mean on it's own, not processed as asbestos? Poppy seeds, codeine, and heroin all come from the same plant, but no one would claim a poppy seed muffin to be as bad for your body as doing heroin, nor would most people deny the medical value of using regulated codeine in certain medical situations.
And by saying :"Talc is toxic." It doesn't tell us the toxicity level. Lots of things are toxic. Soy is toxic. Too much soy can be hugely bad for you. In small amounts it can be healthy. What matters is the toxicity level. How much of something causes a problem.
I'm not saying talc is completely problem-free either. For my son, I know I used cornstarch powder rather than talc, for diaper changing. Better safe than sorry, especially since dumping powder onto the diaper area lets a lot more puff into the air and it is the breathing in that is dangerous. For many women, talc in pressed, or even loose powder may or may not be a problem. With pressed, and even with loose, we use a brush or pad and rub the mixture (not pure unmixed talc) onto skin, it doesn't puff into the air in the same way as squeezing or shaking a baby powder bottle.
as to whether it causes breakouts, that probably depends on the individual. But as a carcinogen, it probably comes down to moderation. To go back to the sun, we need sun. for one we absorb vitamin D differently from the sun than from dairy or vitamin pills, and there have also been studies that show getting some regular sunlight can prevent depression episodes. But too much of a good thing, and we damage our skin with it.
ETA: I did some more googling and actually have found some studies that doubt it is naturally a carcinogenic even as an inhalant! The study that resulted in animals getting tumors involved forcing rats to inhale the talc for 6 hours a day at a much higher density than makeup and powder uses. It is quite likely that they got cancer because the test overloaded the bodies natural ability to regulate. Remember when they sold us that caffeine was a dangerous carcinogenic because rats got cancer when given caffeine? Then come to find out, the doses were so high it would be like a human consuming multiple boxcars full of coffee a day? moderation, is most often the key to being healthy.
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I never thought it was bad mainly because I had never really known about the bad reasons. Though after reading this my mind has changed. I also must admit that using MAC highlight powders etc dry my skin out so I try to navigate away from them.
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It's not very hard to make your own make up excluding the Talc ingredient, and instead using other stuff as base/filler.
I have very acne-prone skin and it doesn't break me out more than products with no talc. Some Physician's Formula powders are talc-free and I find that they're more plush than normal translucent powders with Talc, but it all seems to apply the same, wear the same and whatnot. But then again, I use so many layers that it might not make a huge difference.
I also think "things that can kill you" are only harmful from a scientific perspective if you use quite a bit. There isn't enough carcinogen in a single make up application (or even the whole compact) to do any damage to a normal healthy person. Carcinogens also cause cancer primarily for those with a genetic predisposition to that particular cancer. In general, it's not necessarily more harmful than everything else in life.
I have very acne-prone skin and it doesn't break me out more than products with no talc. Some Physician's Formula powders are talc-free and I find that they're more plush than normal translucent powders with Talc, but it all seems to apply the same, wear the same and whatnot. But then again, I use so many layers that it might not make a huge difference.
I also think "things that can kill you" are only harmful from a scientific perspective if you use quite a bit. There isn't enough carcinogen in a single make up application (or even the whole compact) to do any damage to a normal healthy person. Carcinogens also cause cancer primarily for those with a genetic predisposition to that particular cancer. In general, it's not necessarily more harmful than everything else in life.
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Talc can easily be inhaled into the lungs and can be a pore blocker.
I know of a great company that sells talc-free make-up. It's award winning and not expensive. It's actually corn starch based and the coverage is great!
I know of a great company that sells talc-free make-up. It's award winning and not expensive. It's actually corn starch based and the coverage is great!
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I'm sure that I've used tons of products that contained talc over the years, but I haven't had any problems overall.
Cornstarch-based makeup would be interesting to try, just to make a comparison.
Cornstarch-based makeup would be interesting to try, just to make a comparison.
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isn't baby powder literally nothing but talc and fragrance?
J&J makes powder using cornstarch as an option as well. The feel is different but smells the same 
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
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yes, and covergirl has good concealers
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Quote: Originally Posted by shellebelle /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I see this thread is several months old, but in case anyone comes stumbling across here like I did doing a google search, I want to warn against simplistic websites like the one posted here in this thread which has a very simplified FAQ as to the danger of talcum powder (you'll have to look back for it, sorry I can't post links yet)
Not that it should be ignored, but that website has a biased POV. The problem is many cancer research sites already have an idea of what is "bad" and knowingly or unknowingly gravitate towards the studies that support them. For example many groups are eager to tout the damages extreme sun exposure can cause and recommend sunscreen, but spend no time studying how chemicals in sunscreen can be more harmful, nor trying to understand why a generation that grew up on sunscreen is still getting skin cancer.
That faq uses some scare tactics: for example, "processing . . . does not separate minute fibers which are very similar to asbestos." does not really tell us much. Which asbestos fibers is it similar to? And just how much does that mean on it's own, not processed as asbestos? Poppy seeds, codeine, and heroin all come from the same plant, but no one would claim a poppy seed muffin to be as bad for your body as doing heroin, nor would most people deny the medical value of using regulated codeine in certain medical situations.
And by saying :"Talc is toxic." It doesn't tell us the toxicity level. Lots of things are toxic. Soy is toxic. Too much soy can be hugely bad for you. In small amounts it can be healthy. What matters is the toxicity level. How much of something causes a problem.
I'm not saying talc is completely problem-free either. For my son, I know I used cornstarch powder rather than talc, for diaper changing. Better safe than sorry, especially since dumping powder onto the diaper area lets a lot more puff into the air and it is the breathing in that is dangerous. For many women, talc in pressed, or even loose powder may or may not be a problem. With pressed, and even with loose, we use a brush or pad and rub the mixture (not pure unmixed talc) onto skin, it doesn't puff into the air in the same way as squeezing or shaking a baby powder bottle.
as to whether it causes breakouts, that probably depends on the individual. But as a carcinogen, it probably comes down to moderation. To go back to the sun, we need sun. for one we absorb vitamin D differently from the sun than from dairy or vitamin pills, and there have also been studies that show getting some regular sunlight can prevent depression episodes. But too much of a good thing, and we damage our skin with it.
ETA: I did some more googling and actually have found some studies that doubt it is naturally a carcinogenic even as an inhalant! The study that resulted in animals getting tumors involved forcing rats to inhale the talc for 6 hours a day at a much higher density than makeup and powder uses. It is quite likely that they got cancer because the test overloaded the bodies natural ability to regulate. Remember when they sold us that caffeine was a dangerous carcinogenic because rats got cancer when given caffeine? Then come to find out, the doses were so high it would be like a human consuming multiple boxcars full of coffee a day? moderation, is most often the key to being healthy.
I was also searching Google about this stuff, since my skin has been testy lately. I really appreciate this particular post; I just bought a new pressed-powder compact of my favorite foundation, but found out that it has talc in it. I wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing, especially with the way my skin has been itching on my face lately. OTOH, I live in the Deep South (where it's super-humid along with super-hot outside well into fall) *and* have bad allergic reactions whenever the seasons change - whether or not I am wearing makeup.
Thanks for the wake-up call about biased research! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
I see this thread is several months old, but in case anyone comes stumbling across here like I did doing a google search, I want to warn against simplistic websites like the one posted here in this thread which has a very simplified FAQ as to the danger of talcum powder (you'll have to look back for it, sorry I can't post links yet)
Not that it should be ignored, but that website has a biased POV. The problem is many cancer research sites already have an idea of what is "bad" and knowingly or unknowingly gravitate towards the studies that support them. For example many groups are eager to tout the damages extreme sun exposure can cause and recommend sunscreen, but spend no time studying how chemicals in sunscreen can be more harmful, nor trying to understand why a generation that grew up on sunscreen is still getting skin cancer.
That faq uses some scare tactics: for example, "processing . . . does not separate minute fibers which are very similar to asbestos." does not really tell us much. Which asbestos fibers is it similar to? And just how much does that mean on it's own, not processed as asbestos? Poppy seeds, codeine, and heroin all come from the same plant, but no one would claim a poppy seed muffin to be as bad for your body as doing heroin, nor would most people deny the medical value of using regulated codeine in certain medical situations.
And by saying :"Talc is toxic." It doesn't tell us the toxicity level. Lots of things are toxic. Soy is toxic. Too much soy can be hugely bad for you. In small amounts it can be healthy. What matters is the toxicity level. How much of something causes a problem.
I'm not saying talc is completely problem-free either. For my son, I know I used cornstarch powder rather than talc, for diaper changing. Better safe than sorry, especially since dumping powder onto the diaper area lets a lot more puff into the air and it is the breathing in that is dangerous. For many women, talc in pressed, or even loose powder may or may not be a problem. With pressed, and even with loose, we use a brush or pad and rub the mixture (not pure unmixed talc) onto skin, it doesn't puff into the air in the same way as squeezing or shaking a baby powder bottle.
as to whether it causes breakouts, that probably depends on the individual. But as a carcinogen, it probably comes down to moderation. To go back to the sun, we need sun. for one we absorb vitamin D differently from the sun than from dairy or vitamin pills, and there have also been studies that show getting some regular sunlight can prevent depression episodes. But too much of a good thing, and we damage our skin with it.
ETA: I did some more googling and actually have found some studies that doubt it is naturally a carcinogenic even as an inhalant! The study that resulted in animals getting tumors involved forcing rats to inhale the talc for 6 hours a day at a much higher density than makeup and powder uses. It is quite likely that they got cancer because the test overloaded the bodies natural ability to regulate. Remember when they sold us that caffeine was a dangerous carcinogenic because rats got cancer when given caffeine? Then come to find out, the doses were so high it would be like a human consuming multiple boxcars full of coffee a day? moderation, is most often the key to being healthy.
I was also searching Google about this stuff, since my skin has been testy lately. I really appreciate this particular post; I just bought a new pressed-powder compact of my favorite foundation, but found out that it has talc in it. I wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing, especially with the way my skin has been itching on my face lately. OTOH, I live in the Deep South (where it's super-humid along with super-hot outside well into fall) *and* have bad allergic reactions whenever the seasons change - whether or not I am wearing makeup.
Thanks for the wake-up call about biased research!
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> 
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If you want to try and stay away talc, I'm sure many people will support that decision because it can be harmful to ones health. I believe that the most important thing is to not inhale talc so don't be using it a baby powder type product that breathing in the product can happen. If lots of your makeup already contains talc I wouldn't toss it in the garbage, I would finish up the product and just make a note to find something different next time that doesn't include talc.
Good luck!
Good luck!
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Quote: Originally Posted by AmandaWarwick /img/forum/go_quote.gif
If you want to try and stay away talc, I'm sure many people will support that decision because it can be harmful to ones health. I believe that the most important thing is to not inhale talc so don't be using it a baby powder type product that breathing in the product can happen. If lots of your makeup already contains talc I wouldn't toss it in the garbage, I would finish up the product and just make a note to find something different next time that doesn't include talc.
Good luck!
Thanks for the advice. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> Honestly, my research went from "It clogs your pores" all the way to "IT CAUSES CANCER!!!" and back to "Research for talc causing cancer was biased." In the end, I'm not *that* worried about it. The only thing I was worried about was whether or not my current powder foundation was making my skin itch and my acne to break out. I doubt it was the makeup, since I had no problem with it a few months ago. I switched facial cleansers, and that seems to have helped a lot. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I think once the seasons finish changing, that'll help a lot too.
My other hesitation in going whole-hog against talc is that it's in almost all the pressed powder foundations, so it'll be nearly impossible to avoid if I stick with it.
If you want to try and stay away talc, I'm sure many people will support that decision because it can be harmful to ones health. I believe that the most important thing is to not inhale talc so don't be using it a baby powder type product that breathing in the product can happen. If lots of your makeup already contains talc I wouldn't toss it in the garbage, I would finish up the product and just make a note to find something different next time that doesn't include talc.
Good luck!
Thanks for the advice.
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> Honestly, my research went from "It clogs your pores" all the way to "IT CAUSES CANCER!!!" and back to "Research for talc causing cancer was biased." In the end, I'm not *that* worried about it. The only thing I was worried about was whether or not my current powder foundation was making my skin itch and my acne to break out. I doubt it was the makeup, since I had no problem with it a few months ago. I switched facial cleansers, and that seems to have helped a lot. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I think once the seasons finish changing, that'll help a lot too.My other hesitation in going whole-hog against talc is that it's in almost all the pressed powder foundations, so it'll be nearly impossible to avoid if I stick with it.
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Quote: Originally Posted by LadyTam /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks for the advice. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> Honestly, my research went from "It clogs your pores" all the way to "IT CAUSES CANCER!!!" and back to "Research for talc causing cancer was biased." In the end, I'm not *that* worried about it. The only thing I was worried about was whether or not my current powder foundation was making my skin itch and my acne to break out. I doubt it was the makeup, since I had no problem with it a few months ago. I switched facial cleansers, and that seems to have helped a lot. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I think once the seasons finish changing, that'll help a lot too.
My other hesitation in going whole-hog against talc is that it's in almost all the pressed powder foundations, so it'll be nearly impossible to avoid if I stick with it.
Physcians Formula has powders without talc. All of their powders have worked well for me.
Thanks for the advice.
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> Honestly, my research went from "It clogs your pores" all the way to "IT CAUSES CANCER!!!" and back to "Research for talc causing cancer was biased." In the end, I'm not *that* worried about it. The only thing I was worried about was whether or not my current powder foundation was making my skin itch and my acne to break out. I doubt it was the makeup, since I had no problem with it a few months ago. I switched facial cleansers, and that seems to have helped a lot. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I think once the seasons finish changing, that'll help a lot too.My other hesitation in going whole-hog against talc is that it's in almost all the pressed powder foundations, so it'll be nearly impossible to avoid if I stick with it.
Physcians Formula has powders without talc. All of their powders have worked well for me.
