Fact-check
Is talcum powder banned in India?
Last checked 10 October 2026
No. Talc is a permitted cosmetic ingredient in India; infant skin powder must meet IS 5339 (pH 5.5 to 8.0, microbial limits) and the Cosmetics Rules 2020 require all cosmetics to be free of prohibited substances, but no Indian rule bans talc or requires asbestos testing, and the only Indian action on a talc powder (Maharashtra, 2022) was about pH and was quashed.
- Classification
- No ban or recall found in official records
- Decided by
- No ban; standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards under the Cosmetics Rules 2020
- Reference
- IS 5339:2004 (skin powder for infants); Ninth Schedule, Cosmetics Rules 2020
- Latest action
- 11 January 2023
- Last checked
- 10 October 2026
Photo: DSCF0910 Evening market scene shoppers browse a brightly lit stall of cosmetics and trinkets under the night sky.jpg by PattayaPatrol (CC BY-SA 4.0). All photo credits.
IS 5339:2004, Skin powder for infants, specification (Bureau of Indian Standards)
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe organise and explain what the document says. The document above is the authority.
Key facts
- Status
- Permitted; no prohibition in IS 4707 Part 2 or the Cosmetics Rules
- Infant powder standard
- IS 5339:2004: pH 5.5 to 8.0, total viable count not more than 100 per gram, no pathogens
- Asbestos
- Not tested under IS 5339; no Indian regulator finding of asbestos in any talc product
- Abroad
- The EU and the US have not banned cosmetic talc either; the US litigation concerns alleged contamination, and the EU's 2024 classification of talc as a presumed carcinogen (CLP, effective 2025 to 2026) is under challenge
Where the claim comes from
US lawsuits alleging asbestos in talc, the 2022 Maharashtra licence action, and the EU's 2024 move to classify talc as a presumed carcinogen.
Talc is a mineral used in face, body and baby powders. In India it is a permitted cosmetic ingredient: it does not appear in Annex A (prohibited substances) of IS 4707 Part 2, the list the Cosmetics Rules 2020 adopt through Rule 39(2). The only product standard that specifically concerns talc powders is IS 5339:2004, skin powder for infants, which the Ninth Schedule of the Rules makes mandatory. It sets a pH range of 5.5 to 8.0, a microbial limit of 100 organisms per gram and freedom from pathogens.
Asbestos is where the public concern comes from, because talc and asbestos can occur in the same rock. IS 5339 contains no asbestos test, and no Indian regulator has published an asbestos finding on any talc product. The only Indian action on a talc powder, Maharashtra FDA's 2022 cancellation of a Johnson & Johnson licence, was about two samples with a pH above the limit, and the Bombay High Court quashed it in January 2023.
Nothing in this means talc has been declared safe; it means it has not been banned or restricted. Readers who want to avoid it can choose cornstarch powders, which is what the largest brand switched to in 2023.
What this means for you
What the standard checks
Whether the powder is too alkaline for a baby's skin and whether it is contaminated with microbes. Not whether the talc contains asbestos fibres.
If you want to avoid talc
Cornstarch-based powders are widely sold, including the current Johnson's product. That is a preference, not a regulatory requirement.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Common questions
Does any country ban talc in cosmetics?
No major market bans it outright. The EU reclassified talc as a presumed carcinogen in 2024, which restricts its use in cosmetics once the classification applies; the United States regulates it but has not banned it.
Official sources and primary records
- IS 5339:2004, Skin powder for infants, specification (Bureau of Indian Standards)RegulatorBureau of Indian Standards · 1 January 2004
- Bombay High Court quashes orders cancelling Johnson & Johnson's licence for baby powder productionCourtLiveLaw · 11 January 2023
- India's cosmetic ingredient regulations: IS 4707 Part 1 (permitted colourants) and Part 2 (prohibited and restricted substances)SourceChemLinked · 1 January 2026