In an unprecedented case, a Missouri court has ordered beauty supergiant Johnson & Johnson to pay $72 million to a woman who claimed that the talc in her baby powder caused fatal ovarian cancer. With more than 1,000 similar cases pending nationwide, it is not only important for consumers to be aware that there is a potential link between using talc based-products and cancer, but know that there are other products on the market, free of this carcinogenic, that are safe to use over the entire body.
INSTEAD USE:
Some Mamas use plain ‘ole cornstarch right out the box, but others want something a bit more civilized and delicious smelling.
Farmaesthetics has created a talc-free alternative to baby powder, the High Cotton Body Dust ($27 via www.farmaesthetics.com). This softly scented, skin-settling herbal potion is safe to use from head-to-toe as it is made with finely ground organic lavender buds – known as nature’s anti-microbial, thyme flowers – a powerful anti-fungal and sage – known for its antiperspirant and deodorizing properties.
Founder of Farmaesthetics and daughter of a seventh-generation farming family, Brenda Brock, created this formula for her grandmother to use in the humid Texas heat to keep her “high and dry.” Her grandmother used a puff to apply the Dust to her “hotspots” – underarms, back of the knees and “nether regions.”