Talc

Talc is a soft mineral milled into body powders and into the slip of pressed makeup, and the case to skip it rests on two solid points and one that is still argued. The solid points first. Talc and asbestos form in the same rock, so cosmetic talc can carry asbestos, a known human carcinogen, and the cancer agency has noted that industry testing has often been too insensitive to rule that contamination out. Separately, inhaling loose talc is a real hazard: it has caused serious lung injury and infant deaths, which is why pediatricians advise against baby powder. The argued point is talc on its own, asbestos aside. In 2024 the cancer agency raised pure talc to probably carcinogenic, on consistent reports of ovarian cancer in women who used body powder in the genital area, though it could not fully separate that signal from asbestos contamination and study bias, so causation there is probable rather than proven. Europe's chemical-risk committee went further in 2025, recommending talc be classified a presumed carcinogen, while the UK's safety regulator reviewed the same evidence and found it did not support a cancer classification at all, a split that shows the pure-talc question is still argued at the regulatory level. Put together, a possible carcinogen you cannot verify is absent, a real inhalation risk, and a standing verdict of probable harm are enough to skip it, especially since cornstarch powders and talc-free makeup do the same job.