It appears that faith in some ‘miracle’ anti-aging products may have been misplaced: a new report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) warns that an ingredient in some skin creams may have serious long-term health consequences for women with, or at risk for, breast and uterine cancer. The offending substance? Estrogen!
The story began with an alert oncologist. He observed that the skin of a woman he was treating for estrogen-driven breast cancer looked more youthful since her previous visit. The doctor quickly ascertained that, starting four weeks earlier, his patient had been applying a new moisturizing skin cream after her daily bath.
His interest was immediately piqued. For years, it has been known that one of the benefits of taking estrogen for relief of menopausal symptoms is younger-looking skin.
Could the cream she was putting on her skin contain estrogen? The product information provided no indication that it did.
His suspicion aroused, the oncologist sent a sample of the patient’s skin moisturizer, along with 15 other skin products, to an independent lab for analysis. The price of the creams ranged from $10 to several hundred dollars. Each was chosen based on the manufacturer’s claim that it rejuvenated, or enhanced the youthful appearance, of the skin. None listed estrogen as an ingredient.
The results supported the doctor’s concern: six — almost 40 percent — of the creams contained significant amounts (up to 0.61%) of estriol or estrone, two potent forms of estrogen. As a comparator, Estrase, a vaginal cream prescribed to treat symptoms of vaginal dryness in post-menopausal women, contains up to 60 times less estrogen!
Cosmetic companies are not currently required to submit their products for regulatory approval to agencies such as the FDA or Health Canada. Rather, as noted in a recent scientific review, complex skin formulations that contain potentially harmful ingredients are largely regulated by the cosmetic manufacturers themselves. And, as we have just learned, these same manufacturers generally do not feel inclined to divulge the presence of “problematical” ingredients like female hormones.
Should we be worried about the estrogen content of facial creams and other skin care products? In short, yes.
More to the point, women with breast cancer who are under treatment with an estrogen-lowering aromatase inhibitor should be especially concerned about any product that, without their knowing it, could work against this treatment by raising the level of blood estrogen through the skin. Similarly, healthy women at risk for breast or uterine cancer should also beware of the increased exposure to environmental estrogen inherent in some rejuvenating skin preparations.
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