For the month of October many companies release limited time pink products in support of breast cancer research. Aside from the fact that purchasing these products help raise money for breast cancer research, buying this merchandise seem to give people the warm-fuzzies.
We feel good about being charitable and it doesn’t hurt that one can get a slew of Pepto-Bismol colored products for nearly every aspect of life. Pink products for breast cancer awareness can range anywhere from high-end cosmetics to sportswear and toolkits.
Initially this article was supposed to be about the myriad of products that support breast cancer research. However, while researching products I found alarming news: certain products that are marketed to support breast cancer research also contain carcinogens.
Many consumers are unaware that some products that are marketed as “fighting for the cure” are actually part of the problem.
Promise Me perfume, which was marketed by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, was found to have harmful carcinogenic chemicals, according to the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep
Cosmetics Database.
While consumers were assured a reformulation, the existing product remained in stores.
Cosmetics manufacturer Estee Lauder created a line of lipsticks to support breast cancer awareness, but the Estee Lauder Pure Color lipsticks contain BHT, which has a correlation to cancer development. In addition, Bobbi Brown released a pink blush that also contains a carcinogen that can cause cancer when inhaled, according to EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.
Many people may purchase these products under the impression that they are doing their part to fight for the cure, but they aren’t learning about ways to prevent breast cancer. This is called pink-washing — when consumers are brainwashed into buying these products without spreading
knowledge about the cure.
Pink-washing has been problematic for quite some time. Much like the Livestrong bracelets and #StopKony gear, the pink products are simply clever marketing schemes that are fun to look at. Many people blindly purchase these items without further educating themselves about breast cancer prevention.
Each year consumers spend millions of dollars on products that are purported to support research for the cure, yet breast cancer rates continue to rise year after year.
Why the disconnect? I reached out to the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center for a quote, but received no response.
Among the many other problems that arise with pink-washing, this phenomenon creates a large amount of publicity about breast cancer — which is great for raising awareness — but can sometimes undermine some of the other forms of cancer that plague women around the world.
“Breast cancer awareness is important because it is prevalent in women across all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds; even affecting some men,” said biological engineering sophomore Aiyana Braswell. “However, to put a disproportionate emphasis on breast cancer takes away from the many other forms of cancer that claim millions of lives everyday.”
People who are seeking to truly make a difference in breast cancer awareness should focus on prevention and understanding the warning signs as well as risk
factors for many types of cancer.
Shamiyah Kelley is a 20-year-old communication studies senior from Irmo, S.C.