The FDA has withdrawn a proposal issued in 2024 that would have required manufacturers of talc-containing cosmetics to test their products for the presence of asbestos and related substances, saying that it will revisit the issue.

The proposed rule laid out testing criteria, as required by the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022. That law sought to improve testing of talc-containing cosmetics because of concerns about links to ovarian, lung, and other cancers.

The withdrawal, published in the Federal Register, comes 6 months after the FDA held a 2-hour-long expert panel that featured presentations linking asbestos-containing talc to a variety of cancers and illnesses. During that meeting, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, seemed to indicate that the agency would consider banning talc from cosmetics and other personal care products.

The agency received 49 comments on its 2024 proposal, some from consumers who said they were concerned that asbestos in talc-containing products was fueling certain cancers.

In 2024, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified talc, which often contains asbestos, as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

Some consumer and patient advocates expressed alarm at the withdrawal.

“Despite his ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement’s stated goal of eliminating toxins, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, signed the withdrawal order, shocking public health advocates who have worked for decades to curb asbestos in talc-containing products,” wrote an author on a blog for people with mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure.

Linda Reinstein, co-founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, called the withdrawal a “dangerous rollback” of protections and said in a statement that the current testing framework is “outdated, inconsistent, and incapable of reliably identifying all asbestos fibers.”

Added Reinstein, “Scrapping this commonsense requirement not only ignores a clear Congressional directive but also leaves millions of Americans vulnerable to preventable asbestos exposure.”

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) noted that a study of talc-based cosmetics that it commissioned in 2020 found asbestos in 15% of samples.

Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs at EWG, said in a statement that the withdrawal of the testing rule “is dangerous and irresponsible” and “illegal.” He added that “tests for the presence of asbestos are the only way to ensure products made with talc are safe.”

The FDA wrote in the Federal Register that “good cause exists to withdraw the proposed rule at this time,” adding that it was going “to reconsider best means of addressing the issues covered by the proposed rule and broader principles to reduce exposure to asbestos, and to ensure that any standardized testing method requirements for detecting asbestos in talc-containing cosmetic products help protect users of talc-containing cosmetic products from harmful exposure to asbestos.”

The agency added that it would still “issue a proposed rule to meet its statutory obligations.”

At press time, the FDA had not responded to a Medscape Medical News request for further clarification.

When asked to comment, the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), which represents manufacturers, said it was aware of the withdrawal. “FDA has also stated they intend to meet their statutory obligations,” said Tesia Williams, PCPC spokesperson.

Alicia Ault is a Saint Petersburg, Florida-based freelance journalist whose work has appeared in many health and science publications, including Smithsonian.com. You can find her on X @aliciaault and on Bluesky @aliciaault.bsky.social.