Moisturizers Could Cause Skin Cancer
Research shows that many of the commonly used moisturizers increase the risk of melanoma skin cancer when tested on mice. The researchers from Rutgers university in Piscataway examined the mice after they were exposed to ultraviolet rays - which are similar to that of sun rays.
Once UV treatment was completed, four most commonly used moisturizers - Dermabase, Dermavan, Eucerin, Vanicream - were separately applied to mice skin during a 17 week period of time. When the skin moisturizer treatment was completely done, researchers found that the moisturized mice were more likely to develop skin tumor, and their tumors were much larger than those in non-moisturized mice.
Researchers suspected several moisturizer ingredients in leading to tumor growth and tested them one by one. However, none of these ingredients were found to increase skin cancer risk. Now they suggest the moisturizer producing companies to conduct trials of their own and to modify their products so that they don’t harm the human skin when the creams are applied for skin care purposes.
Researchers found that there are less known brands of moisturizers, which do not cause melanoma risk, so it is quite possible to develop the tested products and make them safer for use.