Millions of women who use popular brands of moisturiser should not be alarmed by US research suggesting tha the product may increase the risk of skin cancer, British dermatologists said yesterday.
Scientists from Rutgers University, New Jersey, exposed hairless mice to ultraviolet radiation to mimic the effect of sunlight. They applied various common brands of moisturiser to the skin of the sunburnt mice and found this increased the production of tumours by 69%, compared with unmoisturised mice.
Writing in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the team said: “Mouse skin is different from human skin, but the research could help to explain the incidence of some types of skin cancer.”
