麻豆社

Today we鈥檙e talking talc鈥� that white powder that is sometimes found in make-up. There鈥檚 been a lot of chat recently about the safety of talc. So, in this episode we find out why it鈥檚 in our make-up and cosmetics, and whether we should be avoiding it.

麻豆社 journalist Phoebe Keane, who produced the podcast series Talc Tales, explains what talc is and its link to asbestos, a known carcinogen. We also discuss the different tests that are used to determine if talc has been contaminated with asbestos.

The World Health Organization has classified talc as 鈥減robably carcinogenic to humans鈥�. Several companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Chanel and L鈥橭real have been quietly moving away from using talc-based products in recent years. But do consumers care about this? We hear from Savannah, a PhD student and make-up content creator. And what can you use if you want to avoid talc in make-up? Jen Novakovich, a science communicator and cosmetic scientist, suggests some alternatives.

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Presenter: Iqra Farooq
Producers: Mora Morrison and Benita Barden
Video producer: Tim Hodges
Editor: Verity Wilde and Harriet Oliver