US Woman 'Addicted' To Baby Powder, Opens Up About Eating Disorder

A woman from Louisiana, USA, revealed that she loves to eat baby powder, consuming a whole bottle (about 620 grams) of Johnson's Aloe & Vitamin E daily. 27-year-old Dreka Martin claimed she'd rather give up normal food to continue eating it than stop. She revealed that she has spent $4,000 on baby powder in the past year. The New Orleans resident told the Mirror that she suffers from an eating disorder called pica, which makes her consume things that normally cannot be eaten. 

"It tastes exactly how it smells," Martin exclaimed. "When I think about it my mouth waters. It's an addiction that I try to stop but I just can't." Martin first gained attention when she posted about her addiction on social media. She told the Mirror about her addiction to the product and her fear for her health.

More Like A Compulsion

Dreka Martin said that her favourite thing about eating the baby powder is that it melts in her mouth within seconds. The brand Johnson's said their baby powder is formulated "for use on the skin only" but Martin said the longest she has avoided her addiction was while pregnant with her three-year-old son. 

Martin also revealed that she is concerned her son will also become addicted as he asks for the powder in the bath after seeing her eating it. The mum-of-one admitted to trying to hide her addiction from her friends and family because it upsets her when they judge her habit and voice concerns about her health. But her addiction was exposed when her mother was concerned about why the baby powder was emptying so fast.

"I've tried to hide it from everybody but I do it so often and I won't be able to talk when my mouth is full of it. They ask what's in my mouth and I tell them it's baby powder," Martin told the Mirror. "When they worry it makes me want to stop, but it's not that easy. I still sneak and do it. I can't just stop."I

Martin said, "If I'm travelling, 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 won't run out... It's just something I do to cope. It just makes me feel good and makes me happy." She says the addiction became worse in 2014 and then in January 2023 following the death of two loved ones.

Health Complications

Dreka Martin's condition, pica, is linked to traumatic life events in some cases. During her pregnancy, she had six blood transfusions to stop her baby powder cravings as doctors believed they were related to low iron levels, as reported by the Mirror. But she began eating it again when her son was three months old.

She now takes iron supplements to repress her cravings. Martin said that she is worried about her health and that her son is going to follow in her footsteps. But she told the Mirror that she does not intend to stop anytime soon. 

Martin shared her strange addiction on TikTok, which garnered 400,000 likes and 24,000 followers, including some who suffer from similar issues and others who mock her. Dreka said, "I know there are other people out there like me who said they didn't think they were normal until they saw me do it. They're not alone. I want to raise awareness. I was at work over the weekend and a girl came up to me and said she saw my TikTok and she told me she keeps one of the smaller baby powders in her bra."