Talcum powder is made from talc, a mineral made up mainly of the elements magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. As a powder, it absorbs moisture well and helps cut down on friction, making it useful for keeping skin dry and helping to prevent rashes. It is widely used in cosmetic products such as baby powder and adult body and facial powders, as well as in a number of other consumer products. The therapeutic action of talc instilled into the pleural cavity is believed to result from induction of an inflammatory reaction. This reaction promotes adherence of the visceral and parietal pleura, obliterating the pleural space and preventing reaccumulation of pleural fluid. Sterile Talc Powder, administered intrapleurally via chest tube, is indicated as a sclerosing agent to decrease the recurrence of malignant pleural effusions in symptomatic patients. The most often reported adverse experiences to intrapleurally-administered talc were fever and pain.

Barium sulfate, an insoluble in water substance, which was approved under the brand name E-Z-HD for use in double-contrast radiographic examinations of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum to visualize the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in patients 12 years and older. Due to its high atomic number, barium is opaque to x-rays and therefore acts as a positive contrast agent for radiographic studies.

Silicon dioxide (silica) is most commonly found in nature as quartz, as well as in various living organisms. Silicon dioxide one of the most complex and most abundant families of materials, existing both as several minerals and being produced synthetically. In food and pharmaceutical industry silica is a common additive, where it is used primarily as a flow in powdered foods, or to adsorb water in hygroscopic application. In pharmaceutical products, silica aids powder flow when tablets are formed.

Kaolin is a hydrated aluminum silicate mineral. It occurs naturally as a clay that is prepared for pharmaceutical purposes by washing with water to remove sand and other impurities. Kaolin has traditionally been used internally to control diarrhea. Kaolin has also been used topically as an emollient and drying agent. Specifically, it has been used to dry oozing and weeping poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac lesions. It has also been used as a protectant for the temporary relief of anorectal itching and diaper rash. Kaolin is used in medicine as an activator of intrinsic pathway of coagulation in an aPPT test.