Skin moisturizers increase cancer risk in mice, according to study

NEW YORK A study by researchers at Rutgers University has found that skin moisturizers given to mice exposed to ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of cancer, according to HealthDay News.

The researchers, who published the study in the Aug. 14 issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, emphasized that the study was done only on mice, and they didn’t know if studies on humans would yield similar results.

The study involved exposing hairless mice to UV radiation for extended periods, which caused skin cancer. After that, they applied four common brands of skin moisturizer on the mice over 17 weeks for five days a week. The mice that received the moisturizers had an increased rate of tumor formation.