Traditionally used on babies’ bottoms and by older women, talcum powder is a soft, sweet-smelling way of keeping skin dry and avoiding rashes. Yet it may have more troubling effects. Research has been rumbling on for more than a decade, looking at whether the talc in talcum powder can cause cancer. Last week a study pooling the results of eight research papers involving almost 2,000 women found an increased risk of between 20% and 30% for ovarian cancer in women who used talc for what some newspapers reporting the study call ‘intimate personal hygiene’ but doctors call the genital area. So should we stop dusting talc?

The solution

The talc in talcum powder comes from the crushing, drying and milling of mined talc rocks and contains minerals such as magnesium and silicon. Such products used to contain asbestos (which causes mesotheliomas – rare cancers of the tissues around the lungs). Now all talcum powder is free of it, although it still has minute fibres that take years to dissolve.

Talcum powder absorbs moisture and reduces friction – which is why it protects skin. It can also travel, and is easy to inhale when you’re pouring it on. When applied to the genital area […]