Moisturizers causing skin cancer

Well, as Joe Jackson said in a song, “Everything gives you cancer…”.  A recent study on mice found that their risk of skin cancer went up when they were exposed to both twice-weekly, moderate dose UVB ultraviolet exposure and to several moisturizers.  The presumed culprits were the ingredients sodium lauryl sulfate and mineral oil.  Yikes.  While studies on humans or even other mammals need to be done to test the relevance of this problem, it raises questions.  Clearly manufacturers of moisturizers, and also the cream vehicles used to mix topical medications into, need to prove their products are safe. If moisturizers do cause cancer, this unexpected finding suggests that more ingredients need to be tested for their interaction with ultraviolet light and their possible connection to skin cancer.  More to follow…