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Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Talc in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Talc is a cosmetic ingredient that scrubs or polishes. The EU allows it only with limits or conditions. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 332 products, most often makeup.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 3 sourcesHow we check

What does Talc do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Talc scrubs or polishes, absorbs water or oil and keeps a powder free-flowing. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: abrasive, absorbent, anticaking, bulking, opacifying and skin protecting.

abrasiveabsorbentanticakingbulkingopacifyingskin protecting

What other names and numbers does Talc have?

CAS number
14807-96-6
EC number
238-877-9
CosIng reference
38438

Is Talc restricted in the EU?

Yes, it has limits. The EU allows it only with limits or conditions of use, such as a maximum amount or a warning on the label (Annex III of Regulation 1223/2009, entry 59).

The annex entry sets the exact limits, the products it may be used in and any warning the label must carry.

Which products contain Talc?

Open Beauty Facts finds Talc in the ingredient lists of 332 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often makeup, face makeup and soaps.

  • Makeup30
  • Face makeup29
  • Soaps23

Products with it, by country of sale: France 108 · Germany 26 · United States 25 · Spain 21.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Talc turns up, not how much of the market it is.

On these listsRestricted in the EU

Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors

Sources

The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.

  1. European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
  2. Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
  3. EU Regulation 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (the annexes)

Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check

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