By Tracey Brown, Beauty Editor
aka beauty guru
So many cosmetic companies are now on board with exclusive products for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, that I feel no guilt when I buy a cute little lipgloss or compact or body wash whose proceeds benefit Breast Cancer Research. I can’t wait to see the adorable packaging and pretty pink products that are limited editions for the month.
October of each year affords me the opportunity to splurge on makeup that makes a difference.
On a more serious note however, I have lost friends and family to breast cancer. My cousin recently had a double mastectomy and is now a survivor. When I was 40 I was breast feeding my youngest daughter (that’s what too much tequila in Las Vegas can do for you) so I missed that customary first mammogram at 40 years of age, but since that time I have been regularly getting screened. Additionally I do my own breast checks in the shower. If you are not regularly checking you breast for irregular lumps and need to learn how now. Visit the American Cancer Society’s web page.
While working for the Marin County chapter of theCampaign for Safe Cosmetics, I became friends with Genevieve, a cancer survivor, who now works for the Breast Cancer Fund in San Francisco.
Some startling data about breast cancer from the
Breast Cancer Fund:In the United States, a woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is an alarming 1 in 8i, and no more than 1 in 10 women with breast cancer has a genetic history of the disease.ii A growing body of scientific evidence points to toxic chemicals and radiation as factors contributing to the high rates of breast cancer.
A Few Breast Cancer Facts
Between 1973 and 1998, U.S. breast cancer incidence rates increased by more than 40 percent.iii In 2008, an estimated 250,000 U.S. women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,500 died of the disease.iv
An estimated 80,000 synthetic chemicals are registered for use in the United States; fewer than 10 percent have been fully tested for their effects on human health.v
Emigrants from low‐risk to high‐risk regions face increased risk of breast cancer, especially those who move before age 20.vi This and other data tell us that characteristics of modern societies affect risk.
A great resource to insure that proceeds from you purchases are actually funding breast cancer is thinkbeforeyoupink.org.
My Shop Pink Picks
1. Sonia Kushak BCRF Brush Up on Pink 4-pc. Purse Set, $12.99. 15% of sales from each item goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Available at target.com.
Sonia Kushak Brush Set
2. Jane Iredale Christina PureMoist LipColour, named for cancer survivor Christina Applegate. $19 Two dollars of each purchase goes toward a minimum donation of $25,000 to Living Beyond Breast Cancer.
Jane Iredale Christina Lipstick
3. Avon Breast Cancer Crusade Moisturizing Bar Soap $4. Available at avonfoundation.org.
- Avon Soap
4. L’Oreal Color of Hope Cosmetics Bag , $29.95 at drugstores. $5 from each cosmetics bag sold goes to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.
- L’Oreal Color of Hope Cosmetics Bag
5. Du Wop Purse Your Lips, regularly $23, now $17.25 at Beauty Habit. 10% of proceeds go to Cancer and Careers.
- Du Wop Purse Your Lips
6. Estee Lauder Evelyn Lauder Lip Set, $22. $500,000 goes to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
- Estee Lauder Pink Ribbon Collection
Bobbi Brown Pink Ribbon Collection
8. Smashbox PHOTO FINISH LIPSTICK TO BENEFIT SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE , $22. A portion of proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Smashbox Phto Finish Susan G. Komen for the Cure Lipstick
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Hi Stacy,
I took some time before I returned comment as this is such a highly charged issue. As someone who works in the cosmetic industry, I think that any dollars spent toward the cause are well spent. I know consumerism, there are women who are going to patronize Estee Lauder, Avon and L'Oreal til the cows come home. If they buy a product that give a dollar toward cancer research, then I'm for it.
To be fair, I did list thinkpink.org, where each person can do their individual research on that dollars that actually donated from individual vendors. I think that each person has to make their choice about which products that choose to wear and which companies they choose to patronize.
I don't know if the average consumer is aware of any organizations that they can support that researches environmental issues. I did give the link to your organization for that type of inforamtion.
This was a simple blog to give shoppers some ideas for products that they may choose to purchase, not an educational forum regarding the suspected carcinogens in cosmetics that may lead to breast cancer. My platform is not political and I'm not here to debate.
Posted by: tracey | October 05, 2009 at 12:37 AM
Personally, I wouldn't buy most of these pink ribbon products. Companies like Estee Lauder, Avon and L'Oreal are profiting nicely by connecting their products to breast cancer, but what are they really giving back to the cause? An undisclosed portion of proceeds for research or groups that are not focused on actually preventing breast cancer. Most research, and most of the public dialogue about breast cancer, is focused on finding the elusive cure, or urging women to get mammograms -- and not on identifying and preventing causes of the disease, such as carcinogens in the environment. Even worse, products made by these companies actually contain chemicals suspected of causing cancer. This is unacceptable. If they really care about women's health, these pink-ribbon companies should make an immediate commitment to stop using carcinogens. Stacy Malkan, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, author of "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry"
Posted by: Stacy Malkan | September 30, 2009 at 03:13 PM