In recent months and even years, the investing public has paid close attention to the legal exposures facing Bayer and Johnson & Johnson. Bayer acquired Monsanto, which manufactured Roundup, and American juries across the country are determining that Roundup causes injury. Similarly, Johnson & Johnson’s talcum baby powder has been increasingly determined to contain asbestos, and therefore, a causal link to the most asbestos cancer, mesothelioma.

With far less fanfare, Colgate-Palmolive has also found itself involved in talcum powder litigation because it sold Cashmere Bouquet (talcum) powder from 1871 until 1985. It is now involved in similar litigation to Johnson & Johnson, with the company disclosing the following on page 18 of the 2018 Colgate-Palmolive annual report:

“The Company has been named as a defendant in civil actions alleging that certain talcum powder products that were sold prior to 1996 were contaminated with asbestos. Most of these actions involve

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