If you’ve started reading ingredient labels on your makeup the way you already read them on your skincare, talc is probably the first thing that gave you pause. Talc is a naturally occurring mineral that can form in the same underground deposits as asbestos, a recognized carcinogen, which is why manufacturers are expected to source and test their talc to screen it out.

The regulatory picture is genuinely unsettled right now: the FDA has periodically tested talc-containing cosmetics for asbestos since 2018, and in its most recently published round, from 2023, it found no asbestos in any of the 50 products sampled — a reassuring result. At the same time, the FDA withdrew its own proposed rule for standardized asbestos-testing methods in November 2025, which means there’s currently no single mandatory testing protocol every manufacturer has to follow. Neither fact means talc-containing powder is inherently unsafe. It does mean that, for a product you’re applying directly to your face, a talc-free formula sidesteps the open question entirely rather than depending on any individual brand’s testing practices.

The good news: talc-free setting powder has gone mainstream enough that “avoiding talc” no longer means sacrificing performance. The formulas below use rice starch, corn starch, silica, or mineral bases like mica and kaolin clay instead — and in a few cases, they actually outperform their talc-based counterparts on blurring and oil control. We pulled ingredient lists directly from each brand’s official product pages and cross-referenced them against retailer listings (Sephora, Ulta, brand sites) to confirm current formulas, since setting powder lines get reformulated more often than you’d expect.

One reformulation in particular is worth flagging before we get into the picks: Laura Mercier’s iconic Translucent Loose Setting Powder actually exists in two different versions right now, sold under two very similarly named products. We’ll explain exactly which one to buy below, because it’s an easy mix-up.