Can Certain Chemical Moisturisers Cause Tumours?

In a recent investigation, four non-organic moisturisers, commonly used in America, have been seen to up skin cancers in the mice they were tested on. The study was headed by Allan Conney, director of the Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research and professor in the school of pharmacy at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. The test used the moisturisers; Dermabase, Dermovan (a wholesale-only product which was discontinued in 2006), Eucerin Original Moisturising Cream, and Vanicream.

The moisturisers were frequently applied to tester mice with sun-related skin cancer. Allan Conney said that this resulted in faster growing tumors and an increase in the tumors.

“This was unexpected. We really did not expect to see the tumor-promoting activity of these creams,” Conney said.

Conney and colleagues were eventually intending to use one of these moisturisers, in clinical trials on humans with topical caffeine, which has prevented skin cancer in animal studies.

“We thought it would be prudent to test Dermabase by itself to see if it had tumor-promoting activity,” Conney said. “We did not think it would. But lo and behold, to our surprise we got an increased rate of skin cancer.”

They then conducted further tests on Dermabase and the three other moisturizers, which were also eventually intended for human study. For these new animal studies, the researchers used hairless mice irradiated with ultraviolet light twice a week for 20 weeks only. These examples eventually developed forms of skin cancer, showing similar traits to humans who are overexposed to sunlight in early life. The moisturisers were then rubbed into the animal’s skin for 17 weeks. Resulting in 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 moisturisers affect mice in this way, then they are possibly also detrimental to humans. Conney said “The answer is, we don't know. Our study raises a red flag and points out the need for epidemiologists to take a look at people who use moisturizing creams. The companies that market these products should take a look at animal models and see if their products promote tumors.”

“This study could definitely be a warning to alert these companies to consider testing moisturizing creams with some sort of assay,” said dermatologist Keyvan Nouri, director of dermatologic surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and author of the ‘Skin Cancer’. He agrees that the companies that make the moisturisers should run further tests on their products.

Moisturisers are not required to take the same safety tests as medicinal drugs as they are classified as cosmetics. However the results of this test demand the moisturisers to be re-examined, whilst the moisturisers did not cause cancer in the mice they did increase it’s growth.

There is a possibility that the intense radiation damaged the skin of the mice before the moisturizing creams were applied, and this may account for the unusual tumor growth after application. However, cases of skin cancer have increased amongst humans. Skin cancers account for more than half of all cancers, however most skin cancers are curable.

Conney’s research team asked Johnson & Johnson to make them a “custom blend” moisturiser which excluded two ingredients previously linked to skin irritation (sodium lauryl sulfate) and tumor promotion (mineral oil). This moisturiser did not promote skin cancer, yet not all of the products tested used the two excluded ingredients, a problem lies in determining exactly what the link with skin cancer is, also we must take into consideration that mouse and human skin are very different.

It is important not to instantly condemn moisturisers, as Keyvan Nouri says, they can be very beneficial, “As we get older, our skin gets drier. We need to moisturise, otherwise our skin gets dry and we get eczema, dermatitis, rashes, and so on. It is too soon to say from this study people should stop moisturising.”

Whether these findings should cause avid moisturiser users concern is not yet clear, however if you want to be on the safe side Scinbutique has a great range of natural and organic moisturisers which you can use worry free!