Talcum powder scandal: massive lawsuits lead to Avon’s bankruptcy
15 August 2024 05:21
Avon Products, the holding company that owns the international rights to the Avon brand, has filed a petition with the Delaware Bankruptcy Court to protect itself from debt and lawsuits related to the use of talcum powder in the company’s products. This was reported by the PR Newswire news service, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
Earlier, courts in the United States had several times found Avon guilty of causing cancer by using talc in cosmetic products.
It is specified that Avon Products has not been distributing its products in the US since 2016, but remains the parent company for the brand’s divisions located in other countries.
Nevertheless, the bankruptcy filing does not affect Avon’s operations outside the US, the article says.
Earlier, the US courts have several times found Avon Products Inc. guilty of causing cancer by the presence of talc in its products.
on 5 July, the International Agency for Research on Cancer at the World Health Organization recognised talc as a potentially carcinogenic substance. In particular, the experts noted regular references to an increase in the incidence of ovarian cancer among women who self-reported using the body powder. The report cites experiments that showed an increase in the incidence of malignant tumours in experimental rats after talcum powder treatment.
In the US, the Avon brand is owned by LG Household & Health Care. Avon Products stopped selling cosmetics in the US in 2016, and in 2020, the US business was sold to Brazilian Natura.
In January 2024, Avon Products, which operates in more than 140 countries, was criticised for continuing to do business in Russia. Avon changed its mind about leaving the Russian market, although in the spring of 2022 it announced that it would stop investing in business in the aggressor country.
