Vanicream

In a recent survey, four non-organic moisturisers, commonly used in America, we have seen up to skin cancer in mice, they were tested. The study was led by Allan Conney, director of the Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research and professor at the School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. The test used moisturizers; Dermabase, Dermovan (a wholesale-only product that has been abolished in 2006), Eucerin Original Moisturizing Cream, and Vanicream.

Moisturizers are often applied to tester mice with skin cancer linked to sun. Allan Conney said that this resulted in faster growing tumors and an increase in tumors.

"It was not planned. We really did not expect to see the tumor promotion activity of these creams, "Conney said.

Conney and his colleagues intend to eventually use one of these moisturizers in clinical trials in humans with topical caffeine, which prevented skin cancer in animals.

"We thought it would be prudent to check by himself Dermabase to see if she had a tumor promoting activity," Conney said. "We do not believe it. But now, to our surprise we had an increased rate of skin cancer. "

They then conducted further tests on Dermabase and the three other moisturizers, which were also ultimately for the study of man. For these new animal studies, the researchers used hairless mice irradiated with ultraviolet light twice a week for 20 weeks. These examples are finally developed forms of skin cancer, showing similar characteristics to humans who are overexposed to sunlight early in life. Moisturizers are then rubbed on the skin of the animal for 17 weeks. Resulting from the following, Dermabase increased the total number of tumors by 69%, Dermovan increased the total number of tumors by 95%, Eucerin increased the total number of tumors by 24%, and Vanicream increased the total number of tumors by 58% .

These results are worrying, if these moisturizers affect mice in this way, they may also be harmful to humans. Conney said: "The answer is, we do not know. Our study raises a red flag and underlines the need for epidemiologists to take a look at the people who use moisturizing creams. Companies that sell these products should take a look at animal models and see if their products promote tumors. "

"This study could certainly be a warning to alert these companies to consider testing with moisturizers for a kind of test," said dermatologist Keyvan Nouri, director of dermatologic surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and author the "skin cancer". He agrees that companies that make moisturizers should perform additional tests on their products.

Moisturizers are not required to take safety testing that drugs such as medication are classified as cosmetics. However, the results of this trial application of moisturizers to be re-examined, while the moisturizers did not cause cancer in mice they have more to enhance their growth.

It is possible that the intense radiation damaged the skin of mice before the moisturizing creams were applied, which may explain the unusual growth of the tumor after treatment. However, cases of skin cancer have increased among humans. Skin cancers account for more than half of all cancers, but most skin cancers are curable.

research team asked Johnson & Johnson Conney into a "custom blend" moisturizer that excluded two ingredients previously linked to skin irritation (sodium lauryl sulfate) and tumor promotion (mineral oil). This moisturizer does not promote skin cancer, but not all products tested using the two ingredients excluded, a problem is to determine exactly what the link with skin cancer is, it must also hold.