Asbestos Still Shows Up in Some Cosmetics. Here’s Why.

In the 1960s, a link was established between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, an incurable cancer that primarily affects the lungs but can also affect the abdomen and heart. As a result, asbestos as a product was banned in the UK – but not until 1999.

Exposure to asbestos is accountable for 80% of all mesothelioma cases. The development of asbestos-related mesothelioma after exposure is a complicated and decades long process lasting for around 30-50 years.

In the 21st century, some women are suing cosmetics companies for asbestos related mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos related mesothelioma

In geological terms, asbestos is a whole group of minerals, but there are six fibrous asbestos minerals that are known to cause mesothelioma; chrysotile (white), amosite (brown), crocidolite (blue), anthophyllite, fibrous tremolite and fibrous actinolite.

When observed using a microscope, these asbestos minerals are bundles of fibres, known as a fibrous asbestiform. The fibrous bundles are similar to rope; and, much like rope, an asbestiform bundle can fray and break up into smaller fibres.

If a bundle of asbestiform fibres breaks up into smaller, microscopic, fibres, such as during deconstruction work, they can become dust particles that are easily inhaled.

Once in the lungs, they can find their way to the mesothelium – a tissue membrane that lines the lungs, abdomen and heart.

Once an asbestos fibre is in the lung mesothelium it can remain there for decades, where it will cause microscopic scratches. The body recognises asbestos fibres as a foreign body. To heal the damage, immune cells are sent to the area to break down the asbestos fibres.

However, asbestos fibres are resistant to the immune attack. And the chemicals produced by the immune cells to break down the asbestos fibres attack the mesothelium, producing mesothelioma.

Asbestos in make-up

There are no records of asbestos being intentionally used in cosmetics – but there is a risk of low level asbestos contamination in talcum minerals.

Talcum rock is a solid mineral that’s mined from the earth and powdered to produce talc. The microscopic appearance of talc and asbestos fibres are dissimilar but they share other characteristics.

They’re both formed in similar geological conditions and classified as silicate minerals, comprised of the same chemical elements: silicon, magnesium, iron, oxygen and hydrogen.

The different microscopic structure between talcum and asbestos is the product of the arrangement of the chemical elements during the mineral formation.

Like the difference between scrambled eggs and poached eggs – both are made from eggs, but the way the egg has been cooked results in a different appearance.

Due to the similarities between asbestos and talc, it is common for asbestos minerals to form within talcum minerals deposits. These deposits can range from microscopic deposits to large discrete zones of asbestos.

Consistent testing since the 1970s has found asbestiform fibres in some commercial talc products.

Consumer risk

As of 2022, 7.3 million tonnes of talcum are mined per year. However, the talc industry has been resistant to regulation, voluntarily introducing a technique called X-ray diffraction to determine any asbestos content, which has limited detection ability.