I’m addicted to eating baby powder – I’ve spent $4,000 on it this year and get through a bottle a day
A mum has revealed she loves eating an entire bottle of Johnson’s Baby Powder every day, which has already saved her almost $4,000 this year.
Dreka Martin of New Orleans says she loved to taste the skin treatment after showering as a child, but noticed she started craving it about a decade ago.
The 27-year-old admits she now guzzles down one 623g bottle of Johnson’s Aloe & Vitamin E a day and insists she would rather give up ‘normal eating’ than give it up.
Dreka says her favorite thing about eating the white product is watching it “melt” in her mouth by chewing it for up to 40 seconds before swallowing.
She claims the longest she abstained from her bizarre addiction was when she was pregnant with her three-year-old son Faiz Palmer.
Dreka Martin, 27, eats a 623-gram bottle of Johnson’s Baby Powder every day, which costs her almost $4,000 a year
“When I get my son out of the bath, I put the baby powder on him, and he asks for it because he’ll make me eat it,” she said
Despite spending $14 a day on a bottle since January – which would amount to about $3,780 so far this year – she insists she has never experienced any health or digestive problems.
Johnson’s said its baby powder is formulated “for use on the skin only” and warned that it should not be ingested.
The makeup artist says she fears her son will also adopt her dangerous addiction, as he asks for it when he is in the bath and sees her eating it.
Dreka claims to have pica, an eating disorder characterized by a compulsion to eat non-food items such as paint or chalk.
The mother-of-one admits she tries to hide her addiction to cornstarch powder from friends and family, but says it upsets her when they judge her habit and raise concerns about her health.
Dreka, from New Orleans, Louisiana, said: ‘I like eating baby powder. It tastes exactly like it smells.
“It’s just something I do to cope. It just makes me feel good and makes me happy.
‘It’s an addiction that I’m trying to get rid of, but I just can’t. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
“It’s gotten to the point where I’m eating baby powder and I don’t even care about eating real food anymore.
‘If I had the choice between real food and baby powder, I would choose baby powder.
“I would spend my last dollar on it because I need it so much.
The mother of one enjoyed tasting the skin treatment after showering as a child, but found she started craving it about a decade ago
Her favorite thing about eating the white product is ‘melting’ it in her mouth by chewing it for up to 40 seconds before swallowing it
‘I kept it a secret from my mother for a month, but she asked why the baby powder was being used so quickly.
‘We normally had a two-month bottle and it was used within a week, so she felt like something was wrong.
‘I’ve tried to hide it from everyone, but I do it so much and I can’t talk when my mouth is full of it. They ask what’s in my mouth and I say it’s baby powder.
‘Friends and family tell me to stop and that it is bad for my health. It upsets me sometimes when they judge me.
‘If they are worried, I want to stop, but it’s not that easy. I still sneak and do it. I can’t just stop.
‘When I travel, I always need my baby powder. If I’m going out of the country and I know they don’t have that brand, I know to pack at least three bottles so I don’t run out.”
The condition pica is believed to be linked to traumatic life events and she says the addiction worsened in 2014 and again in January 2023 following the deaths of two loved ones.
During her pregnancy, Dreka says she had six blood transfusions to stop her cravings for baby powder, because doctors thought it was related to low iron levels.
She started eating it again when her son was three months old and she now takes iron pills to curb her cravings.
But she says she won’t stop eating baby powder anytime soon, despite being “worried” her son will follow in her footsteps.
Dreka said, “When I get my son out of the bath, I put the baby powder on him and he asks for it because he’ll make sure I eat it.”
“I pretend to put it in his mouth. He knows that if I put it in my mouth I won’t be able to talk, so he walks around making chewing noises.
Dreka has no plans to stop her eating habits anytime soon, despite concerns about her son, Faiz Palmer, following in her footsteps
“I know he only wants to eat it because he sees me eating it. It makes me want to quit. It worries me.’
Sharing her addiction on TikTok has led to Dreka gaining more than 400,000 likes and 24,000 followers, including some who face similar issues and others who mock her.
Dreka said, “I know there are other people like me who said they didn’t think they were normal until they saw me do it. They are not alone. I want to raise awareness.
“I was at work this weekend and a girl came up to me and said she saw my TikTok and she had one of the smaller baby powders in her bra.
‘I get a lot of hate comments, but I’ve been through so much in my life that someone talking about me is the least of my worries.
“Some people see me and say, ‘That’s the girl eating the baby powder.’ How do you eat that? Ew.”
‘Other people who do it are afraid or ashamed that people will talk about them.
‘I definitely want to stop for myself and my son. He is my biggest concern.’
A spokesperson for Johnson’s said: ‘Johnson’s Cornstarch Baby Powder with Aloe and Vitamin E is for use on the skin only and should not be ingested.
‘As with all our products, consumers should read and follow the directions for use on the label.’