Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) confirmed that the talcum powder that is manufactured by Johnson & Johnson (J&J), which is sold in Saudi Arabia, does not contain asbestos.

The SFDA’s confirmation came after a person inquired about the measures that the authority will take, especially after the published news of J&J’s decision to stop manufacturing and selling baby powder that contains talc around the world as of the year 2023.

Asbestos is one of the banned substances in the list of safety organizations for cosmetic products approved in the Kingdom, the SFDA noted.

It confirmed that it checks the safety of all products before they enter the territory of Saudi Arabia through its branches at all land, sea and air ports.

The authority indicated that it also periodically monitors the safety of cosmetic products traded in the local markets by taking samples of the products and examining them to ensure that they are free of any banned substances in the Kingdom.

SFDA stated that it had earlier conducted a process of withdrawing samples of the J&J's baby powder from all regions around Saudi Arabia, stressing that the results of the analysis showed that they conform to the specifications and are free of asbestos.

It confirmed that it will continue follow up on the decisions that will be issued to withdraw any product by international regulatory bodies.

It is noteworthy that Johnson & Johnson announced that it will completely stay away from talcum powder, stressing that it will replace it by starting to use cornstarch in all the baby powder that it will sell around the world.

Sources said that J&J faces tens of thousands of lawsuits from women who allege its talcum powder contained asbestos and caused them to develop ovarian cancer. But the company reiterated its position that decades of independent research shows the product is safe to use.