Fact Sheets - Hormones in Personal Care Products and the Risk of Breast Cancer in African-American Women

What is the link between cosmetics and breast cancer?

Personal care products such as cosmetics, shampoos, and styling aids that are widely used by African Americans contain several chemicals known to behave like estrogens. Many people think that products available at their drug stores have been tested and proven safe by the government; however, this is not true. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal department that studies product safety, is only able to regulate cosmetics after products are released to the marketplace. Neither cosmetic products nor cosmetic ingredients are reviewed or approved by FDA before they are sold to the public. (More information on the way the FDA operates is available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-206.html)

To date, there is no proof that any personal care product puts African-American women at a greater risk of breast cancer. However, there have been cases where the use of certain products has affected children like how hormones normally do during puberty. Chandra M. Tiwary, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist, has documented that the use of personal care products on young girls and babies has led to premature sexual development including breast development and pubic hair growth. Once the parents of these children stopped using the products in question, the sexual characteristics stopped developing, and with time the children returned to normal.

While this research does not connect to cancer risk, it does raise some concerns. The known risk factors for breast cancer include age, genetics, family history or personal history of breast cancer, no children or late age at first childbirth, early menarche (the first menstrual cycle), radiation to the breast, and prolonged exposure to oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy. If these products are having a hormonal effect, the worry is that these products might increase risk in the same way that long-term use of hormonal drugs increase risk.

What are the facts about African-American women and breast cancer?

It is a scientifically accepted fact that:

• African American women under 40 have higher breast cancer rates than white women of the same age
• African American women of ALL ages are more likely to die from breast cancer
• Young African American women are diagnosed with later stage breast cancer
• The earlier a woman starts her menstrual cycle, the higher her risk of breast cancer. African American girls generally start puberty earlier than white girls.
• As is often the case in medical research, the causes of these racial differences are unclear. They could be due to social or economic reasons, or African-American women could be genetically at a higher risk of breast cancer than white women of the same age. However, it is also possible that African-American women are being exposed to substances that change their hormonal levels, and put them at risk for breast cancer. There has not yet been proof of this.

What products have been found to contain hormones?

Dr. Chandra M. Tiwary's research lists the following placenta shampoos as containing hormones (which contain placental extract):

• Queen Helene Placenta cream hair conditioner. (Placental Enzymes)
• Placenta Revitalizing shampoo (contains placental extract)
• Perm Repair with placenta
• Proline Perm Repair with placenta
• Hask Placenta no rinse instant hair repair treatment
• Hask Placenta hair conditioner
• Mexican Spanish Super Gro Placenta
• Nu Skin body smoother (Human Placental Extract)
• Nu Skin NaPCA Moisturizer (Human Placental Extract)
• Nu Skin pH balance (Human Placental Extract)
• Nu Skin Enhancer (Human Placental Extract)
• Hormone hair food Jajoba oil
• Triple action Super Grow (contains hormones)
• Supreme Vita-Gro (contains Estrogen and allantoin)
• Luster's Sur Glo Hormone (contains hormone constituents)
• B&B super Gro (contains estrogenic hormone constituents)
• Lekair natural Super Glo (contains hormones)
• Lekair Hormone hair treatment with Vitamin E
• Isoplus Hormone hair treatment with Quinine (contains hormone constituents)
• Fermodyl with Placenta hair conditioner, no rinse
• Supreme VITA-GRO with allantoin and estrogen plus TEA-COCO

For more information about estrogen and its effects, view our Estrogen Fact Sheet