To be honest I rarely use the talcum powder because I think it is not necessary for me. I only used it when I ran out of my deodorant. So I used it as a substitute for deodorant. I used this brand of talc powder(Agnesia), maybe the ingredient was not the same as yours.
Talcum powder is a mineral(talc) that was mined from the earth. Talc is a composed of hydrated magnesium silicate and this is the chemical formula, H2Mg3(SiO3)4.
What I have found on the Internet the main ingredient of the talcum powder is :
- Silicon dioxide
- Magnesium oxide
- Calcium oxide
- Iron(III) oxide
- Aluminum oxide
- Zinc oxide
- Benzoin
- Calcium carbonate
And this is the ingredient of my talcum powder (based on what they labelled there)
- 74% Talc powder
- 25% Zinc Oxide
- 0.5% Chlorhexidine
- 0.5% Perfume
So, the ingredient was lesser than what I found on the internet maybe because the manufacturer did not want to expose everything about it.
Okay now let take a look at the ingredient :
For the first ingredient which is Silicon dioxide or its other name is silica. This ingredient was used to prevent the powder from getting clump or sticking together. Does it safe for our body? The answer is yes. There a research proved that silicon oxide is safe to be consumed.
Then the magnesium oxide, for your information it also has been used for the production of cement.
It this safe for our skin? Magnesium oxide can be absorbed into our skin very fast that why it is useful for the cosmetic product. Magnesium also can solve the problem of the oily skin since it can break part of oil and fats. The exposure to the magnesium oxide or putting it to your skin in at a higher dose can cause fever. Overall, magnesium would give more benefit than harm to your skin.
Calcium oxide is definitely safe for our skin but inhalation of calcium oxide may cause severe symptom or minor complication. Calcium oxide differs from calcium hydroxide which is toxic and I think you want to make sure that this substance is not in contact with your skin. That could lead to skin damage.
Zinc oxide were used to treat a minor burn or minor skin irritation. The amount of zinc oxide inside the cosmetic product not harmful and minimally toxic. But still, you cannot digest it or put it in your mouth. It could give you a symptom like vomiting. But I pretty sure that zinc oxide has a lot of benefits rather than harm. Some of the benefits of the zinc oxide are protecting your skin from skin cancer, help to treat acne, act as a sunscreen and many more.
Iron(iii) oxide is generally safe and non-toxic for our skin. Iron(III) oxide is used in the cosmetic product because of its functions of colour. The iron(iii) oxide was classified into 3 major colour which is red, yellow and black. Because iron(iii) oxide is non-toxic substance it has been used widely in a cosmetic product.
Aluminium Oxide, also known as "alumina". Its function as a thickening agent and anti-caking agent.
Aluminium oxide does not penetrate the skin and it is safe to use for our skin. However, it is still considered harmful for inhalation.
Benzoine, according to wikipedia, benzoine is obtained from the bark of several species of trees in the genus Styrax. Benzoine is used to help relieve and some minor irritation of the nose, throat, and airways. It could protect your skin from allergy. Benzoin also used in a surgery as topical adhesive agent.
Last but not least, chlorohexidine, which is a substance that used for skin disinfection and skin cleaners. At high concentrations, chlorhexidine is harmful, however at the low concentrations typically used for fight off bacterial and fungal infections and it can be safely used.
Some said that talc powder can cause cancer but why?
This is because some talc contains asbestos which can cause cancer. It will take 10-20 years regularly uses to develop cancer. Now all the talc product are asbestos free.
We know that talc powder are been used widely in body care and cosmetic product. For your information its also used for food and medical area.
This is a little information about talc powder and you can click on the reference for further reading.
Reference :
3.Magnesium Oil Uses: Skin Care, Performance & More - Dr. Axe
4.Magnesium oxide hazard summary identification reason
5.Zinc Oxide Facts, Plus How It Works
6.The Beauty Glossary: I is for Iron Oxides - Skinstore US
8.Benzoin Tincture Plain Topical
10.Disinfectant #14: Chlorhexidine: Safe for humans
11.Talc-fda.gov
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Disclaimer: I am not an expert. I wrote based on my understanding and my experience. Maybe some of it is not accurate from the fact. If I make something wrong, feel free to drop a comment.