A study conducted at Rutgers University discovered some alarming results when they applied four commercially available moisturizers to the skin of mice pre-exposed to large doses of UVB.
After several months of daily monitoring, the researchers found that the number of mice with tumors was not statistically different in the treated groups in comparison to the control groups (most likely due to the UVB exposure). However, there was a significant increase in the rate of tumor formation and the overall number of tumors. The scientists also prepared a custom blend moisturizer without certain ingredients and found that the melanoma rates were significantly lower.
One of the suspect ingredients was Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) which is found in many skin and body care ingredients as well as shampoo and toothpaste. You’ll be pleased to know that our facial moisturizer (becoming of Age Wrinkle Repair Complex) and our Body Butter do NOT contain harmful SLS. In fact NONE of our products do!
Of the four creams, Eucerin fared the best, however there was still a 24% increase in tumor rates. The other creams tested were Dermabase, Dermovan and Vanicream. Industry experts agree that further studies will be needed to conclude that the creams would have the same effect on humans exposed to regular sunlight.
Sources:
“Moisturizer use linked to skin cancer,” by Guy Montague-Jones, 18 Aug 2008
"Tumorigenic Effect of Some Commonly Used Moisturizing Creams when Applied Topically to UVB-Pretreated High-Risk Mice." Study by Yao-Ping Lu, You-Rong Lou, Jian-Guo Xie, Qingyun Peng, Weichung J. Shih, Yong Lin and Allan H. Conney. Published in Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2009 Vol. 129
Thursday, January 22, 2009
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