Why Is Talc Increasingly Viewed Critically?

For decades, talc has been a pre­fer­red func­tion­al ingre­di­ent in cos­me­tic, phar­maceu­ti­cal, and food appli­ca­ti­ons – par­ti­cu­lar­ly due to its flowa­bi­li­ty, absorp­ti­on capa­ci­ty, and texture-enhan­cing properties.

However, in recent times, con­cerns about the safety of talc have been growing. In addi­ti­on to the long-stan­ding dis­cus­sion about its asbes­tos-free status, pos­si­ble car­ci­no­ge­nic pro­per­ties and lung damage are now also being debated.

Different synonyms are used for this substance depending on the application:

  • Talc
  • Stea­ti­te
  • Soapst­one
  • Magne­si­um silikat hydrate
  • E 553b (food additive)
  • C.I. Pigment White 26
  • Talc (cos­me­tic ingredient)

What regulatory developments are influencing the use of talc in cosmetics?

Curr­ent­ly, talc is listed in Annex III (List of sub­s­tances that may be used in cos­me­tic pro­ducts only subject to certain rest­ric­tions) of the Cos­me­tics Regu­la­ti­on EC 1223/2009, and the­r­e­fo­re it is not expli­cit­ly included in the ban out­lined in Annex II (List of sub­s­tances pro­hi­bi­ted in cos­me­tic pro­ducts) of the regulation.

Talc free of asbes­tos is clas­si­fied as a Cate­go­ry 1B car­ci­no­gen under the EU CLP Regu­la­ti­on (as of 2024), par­ti­cu­lar­ly with regard to inha­la­ti­on expo­sure. This clas­si­fi­ca­ti­on has regu­la­to­ry impli­ca­ti­ons. Once the CLP Cate­go­ry 1B clas­si­fi­ca­ti­on becomes offi­ci­al, talc will auto­ma­ti­cal­ly fall under Annex II and will then be pro­hi­bi­ted in cos­me­tic pro­ducts accor­ding to Regu­la­ti­on 1223/2009. A com­ple­te ban on talc in cos­me­tic pro­ducts is expec­ted to be imple­men­ted in the EU by 2027 at the latest.

The search for alter­na­ti­ve ingre­di­ents is already in full swing in the cos­me­tics indus­try, as well as in other indus­tries. A pro­mi­sing and already proven sub­sti­tu­te is magne­si­um car­bo­na­te.

What makes magnesium carbonate a functional and safe alternative?

Magne­si­um car­bo­na­te, or magne­si­um hydro­xy­car­bo­na­te, is a white, basic alka­li­ne earth salt. It is available in various bulk den­si­ties and is a well-estab­lished, safe mineral.

In the indus­try, it is known for:

High absorp­ti­on capa­ci­ty for mois­tu­re and oil.

High che­mi­cal sta­bi­li­ty and biocompatibility.

Asbes­tos-free nature, as it has no geo­lo­gi­cal asso­cia­ti­on with amphiboles.

These pro­per­ties make magne­si­um car­bo­na­te a safe, mul­ti­func­tion­al raw mate­ri­al that is tech­no­lo­gi­cal­ly and toxi­co­lo­gi­cal­ly supe­ri­or to talc in many applications.

Applications in the cosmetics industry

Texture and functionality:

  • Impro­ved skin feel: fine par­tic­les with a silky-matte texture
  • Opti­mi­zed oil and mois­tu­re absorp­ti­on: par­ti­cu­lar­ly rele­vant for powder for­mu­la­ti­ons, dry sham­poos, and deodorants
  • For­mu­la­ti­on neu­tra­li­ty: magne­si­um car­bo­na­te is non-occlu­si­ve and mildly basic

In combination with cornstarch (Zea mays starch):

The com­bi­na­ti­on of 60% magne­si­um car­bo­na­te and 40% corn­st­arch creates a syn­er­gi­stic blend for modern formulations:

  • Fine, soft texture
  • Hypo­al­ler­ge­nic and biocompatible
  • Impro­ves flowa­bi­li­ty and texture stability
Magnesium carbonate

Applications in food technology

Texture:

  • Taste: mildly basic, barely per­cep­ti­ble at low dosages
  • Mouth­feel: fine and powdery, may appear slight­ly ‘chalky’ at high concentrations
  • Odor: odor­less
  • Color: white, fine powder – visual­ly neutral in formulations

Technological functions:

  • Anti-caking agent (e.g., in dry mixes, spices, dietary supplements)
  • Acidity regu­la­tor (in effer­ve­s­cent powders, beverages)
  • Source of magne­si­um (for magne­si­um for­ti­fi­ca­ti­on in func­tion­al foods and dietary supplements)

What product variants are available in our portfolio?

MAGNESIA® 1110000 Extra Light

  • Very fine, free-flowing grade
  • Extre­me­ly mild, sui­ta­ble even for sen­si­ti­ve skin
  • For deco­ra­ti­ve cos­me­tics, dry sham­poos, body powders
  • Origin: France

MAGNESIA® 1111000 Extra Light

  • Sus­tain­ab­ly sourced from seawater
  • Opti­mi­zed mois­tu­re absorp­ti­on with a plea­sant texture
  • Ideal for cos­me­tic powder formulations
  • Origin: Japan

Rethinking Talc – Using Magnesium Carbonate Intelligently

In times of stric­ter regu­la­to­ry requi­re­ments and growing con­su­mer demands, repla­cing talc has become a neces­si­ty. Magne­si­um car­bo­na­te pres­ents itself as a sci­en­ti­fi­cal­ly backed, safe, and high-per­for­mance solu­ti­on – offe­ring advan­ta­ges in both texture and functionality.

With the MAGNESIA® product port­fo­lio, MAGNESIA GmbH sup­ports its cus­to­mers in the cos­me­tics, phar­maceu­ti­cal, and food indus­tries in deve­lo­ping future-proof and regu­la­to­ry-com­pli­ant products.

MAGNESIA GmbH

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Industriegebiet Ost
21337 Lüneburg, Germany

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