Ingredient glossary / Texture and thickener
Talc
On the label: Talc · Texture and thickener
What it is
A soft mineral used in powders for slip and absorbency. Cosmetic talc is tested for asbestos; the FDA has proposed a standard test method after contamination findings.
Texture and thickeners: Thickeners and film formers give a product its body and feel, from gums to silicones.
Wikidata: Hydrous magnesium phyllosilicate mineral. Q134583 →
In the research
192 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- Talc Use and Risk of Cancer: An Umbrella Review and Overlapped Analysis · Cancer reports (Hoboken, N.J.), 2026
- Allaying "Anxieties in Government Officials, Physicians and the Public": Johnson & Johnson and The Lancet Editorial of 1977 · American journal of public health, 2026
- Multi-pathway human exposure to NORM from facial foundation powders available on the Turkish market: Assessing lifetime cancer risks for adult users · Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology : RTP, 2026
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Products whose label lists it
1 on the siteMatched from the ingredient list the supplier printed; the position in the list (first or thirtieth) is on each product page.
Other texture and thickeners
Dew & Balm describes ingredients from the public record and makes no claim about what a product will do for you. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA. If a product causes a reaction, stop using it; a reaction that spreads or affects breathing is a call to a doctor or 911.