How to make the best talc-free baby powder

If you just watched the video above, you’ve seen how easy it is to combine a few powders to create your own skin-safe talc-free baby powder.

But there’s more to this than just following the steps – making your own body powder is about taking control of what goes on your skin, and reclaiming your power.

If the Johnson & Johnson talc controversy showed us anything, it’s that we often don’t know or realise what’s in the products we use on a daily basis. That’s exactly why we wanted to show you how easy it is to make your own skincare, starting with this multipurpose body powder.

In this post, we’ll go beyond the video. We’ll explore each ingredient and its benefits, share tips for achieving a perfectly smooth, professional-quality powder, offer ideas for customisation, and guide you step-by-step so you can make your own talc-free baby powder with confidence.

What makes this baby powder so special

Not only is this baby powder talc-free, plant-based, and skin-safe, but it’s also suitable for the whole family.

In fact, we’re calling it baby powder because that’s what everyone knows and recognises, but it’s actually a multipurpose body powder.

Also, at Formula Botanica, the world’s leading online organic cosmetic formulation school, we’re firmly of the opinion that babies don’t need skincare products. So this dusting powder is really designed for everyone.

And the best part? It’s incredibly easy and satisfying to make.

All you have to do is basically mix some powders and other ingredients in a bowl, and you’ll get a professional-grade body powder that’s just as good, if not better than what’s in the shops! And the sense of pride you’ll get from making something yourself is unparalleled.

How to use this talc-free powder

This baby/body talc-free powder is wonderfully versatile.

You can use it straight after showering for a classic powder-fresh feeling, or even dust it in your shoes to absorb moisture and freshen them, or apply it anywhere you want to reduce friction and have silky-smooth skin all day long!

Everything you’ll need to make this talc-free body powder

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this talc-free baby/body powder:

Ingredients

Let’s start with the ingredients!

You’ll only need 7 ingredients to make this luxurious talc-free baby powder, and you can find the full ingredient breakdown in the ingredients section below. These include:

• 37g arrowroot powder
• 25g corn starch
• 20g kaolin clay
• 10g of coconut powder
• 5g of chamomile flowers ground into a fine powder
• 2g sweet almond oil
• And 1g vitamin E

We also provide a full supplier list at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

Now, let’s move on to equipment. Don’t worry: you don’t need anything fancy, complicated, or expensive to make this talc-free baby powder!

All you need is some basic kitchen equipment, most of which you probably already have at home. You can also find all of these on our Amazon storefront.

To make this baby powder, you’ll need:

• A digital scale to measure your powders accurately – you can find one online for around $10 if you don’t already have one.
• A large mixing bowl to combine your ingredients (make sure it’s big enough, powders take up more space than you’d expect!).
• A small beaker or bowl to pre-weigh your powders.
• A whisk or a large spoon to mix everything together.
• And a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder to grind any powders that aren’t fine enough. This ensures everything is blended perfectly and removes lumps.

You’ll also need a clean container to store your body powder.

We’ve used a glass spice jar with a shaker top, but you could also use a tin with a powder puff or even a flip-top bottle. As long as you choose something that dispenses the powder easily without creating clouds of dust, you can get creative and pick the best option for you!

We personally recommend using a shaker-top container, as it helps disperse the powder more evenly than a powder puff. Powders also take up more space than you might expect, so choose a container that’s about twice the size of your batch.

For example, although this recipe makes 100 grams, you’ll need a container with around 200g capacity to hold it comfortably.

Also make sure you wash your hands before you start, wear an apron, gloves, and tie your hair back if you have long hair.

Finally, we recommend wearing a face mask when working with fine powders, as you don’t want to be inhaling powders!

Full ingredient breakdown

This talc-free baby/body powder contains 7 simple, plant-based ingredients you can actually pronounce, like arrowroot, corn starch, kaolin clay, and gentle botanicals such as chamomile and coconut, that work together to absorb moisture, reduce friction, and leave your skin feeling silky smooth.

Here’s a full breakdown:

1. Arrowroot powder

INCI: Maranta Arundinacea Root Powder

Let’s start with our base ingredients, aka the powders. These do the heavy lifting in this formula by absorbing moisture and giving your baby powder that silky, smooth feel.

The first powder you’ll need is arrowroot powder, which you might already be familiar with from cooking or baking before.

This fine, silky white powder comes from a tropical plant and is incredibly gentle on the skin. It absorbs moisture beautifully while leaving your skin soft, smooth, and comfortable all day long – making it ideal for even the most sensitive skin.

2. Corn starch

INCI: Zea Mays (Corn) Starch

Next, you’ll need some cornstarch, which you probably have in your kitchen already. This inexpensive pantry staple is widely available and is wonderfully absorbent.

Cornstarch powder also has a lovely, neutral feel and helps reduce that unpleasant stickiness you often get in humid weather.

3. Kaolin clay

INCI: Kaolin

You’ll also need some kaolin clay/powder, which is a gentle, soft and fine white clay, which you might have used in face masks before.

This clay is known for being the mildest of all clays and is suitable for even the most delicate skin. It provides gentle absorbency whilst feeling incredibly silky on the skin.

4. Coconut powder

INCI: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Milk Powder

And now for a more specialist addition! You’ll need some coconut powder, which is one of the hero ingredients of this formula.

As you can probably guess, this white powder is derived from coconut and gives this talc-free baby powder formula a lovely, natural tropical coconut scent, and helps boost the powder’s absorption properties.

5. Chamomile flowers

INCI: Chamomilla Recutita Flower

Let’s move on to our second hero ingredient: dried chamomile flowers!

Chamomile has been treasured for centuries for its gentle, soothing properties. It also adds a delicate, soft apple-like fragrance to the powder and helps make it extra calming for the skin.

You can easily find dried chamomile flowers in most supermarkets or online. You can then grind these into a fine powder using a clean coffee or spice grinder.

Just make sure the flowers are finely ground and remove any tougher stalk pieces, so the powder stays soft and smooth on the skin.

Interested to learn more about chamomile? Find out more about it here!

6. Sweet almond oil

INCI: Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil

You’ll also need a small amount of sweet almond oil to improve the skin feel of this talc-free baby powder, and to dampen the powders slightly so they’re less “dusty”.

We’ve picked sweet almond oil because it’s nourishing and softening for the skin, and it helps everything else feel silky without making the powder clump.

7. Vitamin E

INCI: Tocopherol

And last, but certainly not least, you’ll need vitamin E!

This beloved antioxidant ingredient helps your almond oil stay fresher for longer, and adds extra skin conditioning properties.

How to make a chamomile & coconut talc-free baby/body powder

• Makes: 100g
• Level: Beginner-friendly
• Time: Less than 10 minutes

Step-by-step method:

Here’s how to make this multipurpose chamomile & coconut talc-free baby/body powder, step-by-step! This makes 100 grams.

• Step 1: Weigh your base ingredients (aka your powders) in a small bowl

Start by weighing your base ingredients in the smaller bowl or beaker, using your scale’s ‘tare’ button to reset it after each addition.

You’ll need to weigh 37 grams of arrowroot powder, 25 grams of corn starch, 20 grams of kaolin clay/powder, 10g of coconut powder, and 5 grams of pre-ground dried chamomile flowers.

Once everything is weighed, whisk or stir the powders together to distribute them gently. This creates a beautifully soft texture – the perfect base for your talc-free baby powder.

• Step 2: Add your sweet almond oil & vitamin E to the bigger bowl

And now weigh your sweet almond oil and vitamin E in your large mixing bowl (this is important, make sure you weigh it in the big one).

You’ll need to weigh 2 grams of sweet almond oil and 1 gram of vitamin E, taring the scale in between, and mix these together using a spatula, spoon, or glass rod.

• Step 3: Add the powders bit by bit to the oil mixture

Now it’s time to add your powders to the sweet almond oil and vitamin E mixture.

You might be wondering why we used such a large bowl for the oil mix. That’s because you’ll be gradually incorporating the powders, and you need plenty of space to mix everything evenly.

But don’t just pour all the powders in at once!

Start by adding a small amount of powder to the oils, mixing thoroughly, and then gradually adding more until everything is evenly distributed. This approach helps prevent any oily clumps and ensures a smooth, silky final texture.

After all, you don’t want unpleasant clumps on your skin, or a powder that won’t come out of the container!

This method is also used in professional formulation and is called geometric dilution. It’s a simple trick that guarantees your baby powder comes out perfectly smooth and blended.

• Step 4: Finely grind your mixture in a clean coffee grinder

At this stage, your powders have mostly incorporated the oils, but you might notice some small clumps or a slight grittiness in the mixture. To get a perfectly smooth, fine powder, we recommend using a clean coffee or spice grinder.

Simply transfer the mixture to a clean grinder and pulse gently until the powder is silky and lump-free. This step ensures that the oils are evenly dispersed and eliminates any grittiness, giving your baby powder that professional, smooth texture.

Once your powdered oils are perfectly blended, add this mix back to the rest of your powder in your large bowl, and stir thoroughly to combine everything evenly.

• Step 5: Package & label

And now for the final step! Now that you’ve made an even, beautiful, silky baby powder, all that’s left is to package it into your chosen container and label it.

Carefully pour your dusting powder to avoid spills. You could use a funnel to make it easier.

You could use a clean glass spice jar with a shaker top, like we did, a tin with a powder puff, or even a flip-top bottle.

Pick the option that works best for you (as long as it’s airtight), and don’t forget to label it so you always know what’s inside!

Also, keep in mind that powder formulations take up more space than liquid products, so choose a packaging that’s about 25% larger than your batch size.

Store your talc-free baby powder in a cool, dry place, and it’ll keep beautifully for months.

Customising your baby powder

One of the best things about this baby powder, apart from how easy it is to make, is that it’s fully customisable!

Once you’ve perfected the base, you can experiment with different botanicals and actives to make your talc-free powder uniquely yours.

There are plenty of powder-based options you could use, including rice powder, oat flour, honey powder, fruit powders, or even finely powdered dried flower petals like rose or lavender.

Just make sure to follow the original ratios, as the formula was carefully designed to absorb moisture properly and stay lump-free.

For our version, we chose coconut powder and chamomile flowers, which are gentle on the skin and give the powder a light and natural coconut-chamomile scent.

But you could also add a small amount of essential oils, mixed with a carrier oil (like jojoba or apricot oil), along with some vitamin E to ensure the oils disperse evenly.

If using essential oils, make sure to use them at safe levels, as if you use too much, it could cause irritation or even sensitisation. We cover this in more detail in the podcast episode below:

Episode 6: Essential oil safety with Robert Tisserand

And if you’d like to customise the look of your powder, you can also experiment with colourful powders. You could, for example, grind rose petals to create a soft pink powder, try lavender flowers for a gentle purple hue, or even add dragon fruit powder for a more vibrant colour.

The possibilities are endless, meaning you can create a baby or body powder that perfectly suits your needs, skin type, and personal preferences, all using simple, natural ingredients!

Notes from our formulator, Brooke

When our Formulation Tutor, Brooke, first developed this formulation, one thing immediately stood out to her – just how soft and luxurious the finished powder felt on her skin.

“I’ve never been a big body powder person,” she says, “but in the summer it can be really useful. A light dusting helps absorb excess moisture, keeps skin feeling dry, and can even help fragrance last a little longer.”

So even if you don’t usually use body powder, make sure you give this a try, as it might just change your mind!

This talc-free body powder is also incredibly easy to make, and Brooke says it’s a great starting point if you’re new to formulation. All you really need is a large bowl, a whisk, a scale, a few powders, and a container.

It’s also super easy to customise. Once you’ve mastered the base recipe, you can endlessly personalise it. As we mentioned above, you can experiment with different botanical powders to change up the colour. In fact, you could even use gentle superfood powders from your kitchen cupboard!

Here is some more inspiration for you to customise your body powder:

38 natural colourants for organic skincare

6 everyday kitchen ingredients you didn’t know you could use in your skincare

Want to make more skincare products? Your next step

We hope you enjoyed this post and had fun making your own talc-free baby/body powder! You can also follow along with the YouTube video in this post as you make it.

We’d love to see your final baby powder – share your photos and thoughts in the comments section below.

Making this talc-free baby powder is just the beginning. At Formula Botanica, our philosophy is simple: everyone can formulate, and we all start with just one formulation.

Whether it’s this powder, a lotion, or a lip balm, the first product is the start of your journey to confidently making your own professional-grade skincare at home.

If you’re ready to take the next step, check out our free training, where you’ll learn how to make your own natural and organic skincare products from scratch.

Suggested suppliers

Here is a list of recommended international suppliers you can use to source the ingredients mentioned in this post:

INKY Ingredients (UK)

Aroma-Zone (EU)

Aromantic (UK)

Alexmo Cosmetics (EU)

Manske (EU)

The Soap Kitchen (UK)

Ellemental  (EU)

Lotioncrafter (USA)

Essential Labs (USA)

Go Native NZ (New Zealand)

Naturally Balmy (UK)

O&3 – The Oil Family (UK/EU)

Soap & More (Canada)

Handymade (EU)

Formulator Sample Shop (USA)

FAQ

• What is baby powder?

Baby powder, also called body powder, has been a popular hygiene product for generations. Traditionally made with talc, it’s used to reduce body perspiration and odour, prevent nappy rash, prickly heat, and chafing, and leave the skin feeling soft and silky.

• What does this talc-free baby powder look, feel, and smell like?

The finished powder is a soft, finely ground white-beige powder with a subtle natural coconut and chamomile scent. It feels silky and smooth on the skin, leaving you feeling fresh and comfortable all day long!

• How can you use this baby powder?

Apply it after showering for a classic powder-fresh feeling, anywhere you want to reduce friction, or dust your shoes with it to absorb moisture and freshen them.

• What is talc & why are people avoiding it?

Talc is a naturally occurring clay mineral mined in several countries, used in different industries, including paper making, paint and coatings, rubber, food, electric cable, pharmaceuticals, plastics and, of course, cosmetics.

In recent years, especially after the J&J lawsuits, more people have started avoiding talcum powder. The concern is not the talc itself, but the fact that it is frequently found in underground deposits alongside asbestos, which have been found to occasionally contaminate the mineral deposits used in cosmetics.

Here’s our perspective at Formula Botanica: this controversy highlights a bigger issue in mainstream skincare – ingredient transparency isn’t guaranteed. You rarely know exactly where an ingredient comes from, how it’s processed, or what’s in the final product.

This is exactly why we teach people to create their own products.

When you make your own powders, lotions, or creams, you get to choose every ingredient deliberately, understand what it does, and know exactly what’s going on your skin – and ultimately reclaim some power back.

• How can I customise this talc-free body powder?

You can customise your powder with a wide variety of botanicals, including powdered extracts, dried flowers, essential oils, absolutes, and other botanical extracts.

Explore different plant-based ingredients to create your own signature scent and skin-soothing blend.

• Why is my powder clumpy?

Small clumps are normal and usually disappear when applied to the skin. If your powder is too clumpy, reduce the amount of oil used and blend more thoroughly to achieve a fine, even texture.

• What should I do if the powder feels rough?

If you used whole dried flowers instead of pre-ground ones, you should grind them in a coffee grinder until finely powdered. Sieving can also help remove any larger flakes.

Coarse powders can feel uncomfortable, especially on sensitive skin, so the finer the powder, the better.

• Where can I learn to make skincare?

Check out our free and paid award-winning online formulation courses where we teach you how to make your own professional-grade natural skincare and bodycare products from scratch, no experience or scientific background needed!

Brooke Medhurst

Brooke Medhurst is a Tutor at Formula Botanica. Find out more about the Formula Botanica Team.