Electron irradiation may be a useful method for treating inorganic cosmetic powders such as talc for undesirable microorganisms if it can be established that no loss of quality or efficacy results as a consequence of the technique. A commercial electron accelerator was used to prepare bulk samples by exposure to electron irradiation under different conditions. A morphological characterisation of the control talc was carried out using microscopy techniques and focused on the particle size, shape and surface features of individual particles. Asperity dimensions vs. Roughness values were...