Johnson & Johnson Discontinues Talc-based Baby Powder

After years of backlash and lawsuits surrounding Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based baby powder, the company has decided to discontinue it in the U.S. and Canada.

The company announced this week that it is discontinuing its talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada as demand fell in light of mounting lawsuits that said it caused cancer.

According to Johnson & Johnson, the decline was attributed “in large part to changes in consumer habits and fueled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising.”

Johnson & Johnson has repeatedly denied the allegations and on Tuesday said it “remains steadfastly confident in the safety of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder.”

“Decades of scientific studies by medical experts around the world support the safety of our product,” the company said to CNBC. “We will continue to vigorously defend the product, its safety, and the unfounded allegations against it and the company in the courtroom.”

Johnson’s Baby Powder represents approximately 0.5% of the company’s total U.S. sales in its consumer unit, according to the company.

Disclaimer: We have no position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and have not been compensated for this article.