Pressure was mounting on Johnson & Johnson and its signature Baby Powder.
Krystal Kim, a 53-year-old African-American, one of 22 plaintiffs whose case in St. Louis resulted in a jury verdict last summer of $4.69 billion against J&J, is pictured in her home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. March 22, 2019. REUTERS/Mark Makela
In the following years, J&J turned those proposals into action, internal company documents show. It distributed Baby Powder samples through churches and beauty salons in African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods, ran digital and print promotions with weight-loss and wellness company Weight Watchers and launched a $300,000 radio advertising campaign in a half-dozen markets aiming to reach “curvy Southern women 18-49 skewing African American.
Many of the ovarian cancer lawsuits have blamed the disease on perineal use of J&J cosmetic talcs – a claim supported by some studies showing an association between such use and increased cancer risk. The most recent cases have alleged that J&J’s talc products contained asbestos, long a known carcinogen.
In an emailed response to questions from Reuters, J&J said its Baby Powder is safe and asbestos-free. It noted that the company’s marketing over the years has been directed at many demographics and groups, and that “we’re proud pioneers of the practice of multicultural marketing.” It also pointed out that some Baby Powder ads have featured the cornstarch version of Baby Powder, the safety of which isn’t questioned.
J&J denied the allegations and last year filed a motion for summary judgment in the suit, arguing that the case involved matters of federal law, beyond the state’s purview. A judge in December denied J&J’s motion, a move the company has appealed. The case is scheduled for trial later this year. By 1974, more than 60 percent of Johnson’s Baby Powder sales were “attributable to adults” who used it on themselves, according to a J&J analysis.
In 1989, advertising firm Young & Rubicam submitted a plan to J&J to “initiate a high level of usage” among young women to “augment the weakening baby link.” Under the plan, ads in style magazines like Seventeen, YM, Glamour and Mademoiselle would try to convince teen girls that Johnson’s Baby Powder, “applied daily after showering, is a simple, feminine way to smell clean and fresh during the day.
Those groups, according to the presentation: African-Americans, nearly 60 percent of whom used Baby Powder by this time, compared to about 30 percent for the overall population; overweight people; and fitness-conscious people looking to lose weight. In a statement to Reuters, Imerys Talc America Inc, as Luzenac is now known, said: “Talc’s safe use has been confirmed by multiple regulatory and scientific bodies,” echoing J&J’s response.Two years after the IARC classification, J&J sought proposals for an “African American agency” to develop marketing campaigns for the company’s baby products line.
Lafayette Jones and Sandra Miller Jones did not respond to calls, emails and LinkedIn messages seeking comment. Internal J&J marketing emails before the Weight Watchers campaign ran discuss whether the women featured are heavy enough to resonate with the intended audience. “Can you ask WW if they have any images of slightly bigger women? They don’t have to be super curvy, but a little bigger than the current image would be preferable,” wrote Grace Lee, a J&J brand manager, to others at the company and ad agency Lowe New York.
The presentation slides feature some photos of plus-size African-American women holding Baby Powder samples at “targeted station events” that also included spa giveaways and “Baby Powder Stay Cool Cash.” TMPG did not respond to requests for comment.
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