The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released the results of the agency’s 2023 sampling assignment, testing talc-containing cosmetic products for the presence of asbestos. The testing was conducted using Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Asbestos was not detected in any of the 50 samples tested in 2023.
As background, AMA Analytical Services, Inc. (AMA) was awarded a contract to test talc-containing cosmetic products for the presence of asbestos. AMA was selected because of its expertise and experience in asbestos testing, and because it is accredited for analysis of asbestos in bulk materials through the National Institute of Standards and Technology administered National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NIST-NVLAP). AMA has similarly been awarded contracts with FDA to test talc-containing cosmetic products for the presence of asbestos since 2018.
Cosmetic products were selected and purchased by FDA, and then samples were blinded and transferred to AMA for analyses. The products were selected based on various factors including type of talc-containing cosmetic product, price range, popular products on social media and in advertisements, products marketed to children, products marketed to women of color, and, if any, third party reports of potential asbestos contamination.
To see FDA’s previous talc sampling results, please visit FDA’s webpage on Talc. As required under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulations Act of 2022 (MoCRA), FDA intends to promulgate proposed regulations to establish and require standardized testing methods for detecting and identifying asbestos in talc-containing cosmetic products.