State Attorneys General Are Working Together To Examine How Talc Is Marketed

A group of states is looking into whether talc businesses lied to customers about the health concerns of using their products for a long time

Thursday, June 5, 2025 - A group of state attorneys general has started a cooperative inquiry into how talc product makers sell their goods. The main question is whether these corporations lied to the public about how safe their products were. The investigation wants to find out if people were given enough information about the possible health concerns, especially cancer, that come with using talcum powder products for a long time. At the center of the investigation are decades of ads that focused on cleanliness, freshness, and everyday usage, typically aimed at women and families, but didn't talk about the risks of using talc on the perineum. Officials are also looking into whether corporations changed their marketing messaging based on demographic data that may have identified groups who were more likely to be at risk. A lawyer for a talcum powder ovarian cancer case that is currently going on says that aggressive advertising, especially toward older women and women of color, was a big factor in people being exposed to the powder for longer periods of time and having higher health risks. This investigation comes at a time when there are a lot of ovarian cancer lawsuits against talcum powder makers saying they didn't give enough warnings, even though more and more scientific information is coming to light. Experts in the law say that the marketing perspective is very important in establishing that firms not only knew about possible problems but also minimized or ignored them in order to keep sales. Consumer protection laws may be the most important part of the legal approach, especially if investigators identify violations connected to false or misleading advertising.

The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) says that multi-state investigations are commonly utilized to look into big problems with consumer protection when they could hurt people in more than one state. This investigation into talc is one of the biggest combined actions in recent years on a personal care product. Attorneys general are looking into whether internal corporate records and ads show that the corporation tried to hide or change safety information on purpose. They are also looking at whether the warnings were explicit enough, given in a timely manner, and available to all types of consumers. State authorities are said to have submitted subpoenas asking for records on product safety, marketing plans, demographic targeting data, and company communications about health risk assessments. As part of the study, public health agencies were asked for their opinions, especially to see if marketing initiatives led to confusion about how safe it is to use talc on a regular basis. More and more talcum powder cancer lawsuits are including charges of false advertising as part of their case for liability. Lawyers said that many people used talc for decades without questioning its safety since it had a good reputation. The probe might lead to civil fines, modifications to warning labels that are required by law, and more openness from businesses. Some legal experts think that the unified approach could potentially lead to coordinated lawsuits or settlements at the state level, like what happened in earlier tobacco and drug cases.

Information provided by TalcumPowderCancerLawsuit.com, a website devoted to providing news about talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits, as well as medical research and findings.