The Biggest Lawsuit Against Talc

You’d think that in today’s world, major companies wouldn’t be knowingly putting consumers at risk—but unfortunately, history is repeating itself. Recently, three law firms—Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC, Abtahi Law Group LLC, and McGowan, Hood & Felder LLC—joined forces to launch the biggest lawsuit yet against major brands and retailers like Walmart, CVS, Target, and Johnson & Johnson.

“This is a public health crisis that has gone unchecked for decades,” said Simmons Hanly Conroy shareholder Trent Miracle. According to the lawsuit, companies trusted by millions knowingly sold talc-based products that may contain arsenic, lead, asbestos, and hexavalent chromium—toxic substances allowed under outdated “purity standards” from 1976.

Scientific studies have long linked talc powder to ovarian cancer, and Johnson & Johnson has already faced numerous lawsuits. In 2018, the company was ordered to pay $4.7 billion to 22 women and their families, with additional successful suits filed before and after.

This new lawsuit, filed under California’s Proposition 65, argues that companies failed to provide “clear and reasonable warning” before exposing consumers to harmful chemicals. If successful, damages could total in the tens of millions.

Consumers deserve safer products, and advocates hope this case will be the beginning of talc’s permanent removal from beauty and personal care items.

👉 This is why we use food-grade Tapioca—not talc—in our formulations.