MOISTURISERS used by millions of people have induced skin cancer in experiments on mice, a new study says.
Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey tested four common skin creams on gene-altered hairless mice exposed to heavy doses of cancer-causing UV light.
The scientist who led the study cautioned that rodent skin was more sensitive than human skin, while other experts said they had reservations about the relelvance of the study's conclusions.
Rates of non-melanoma skin cancers increased between 24 and 95 per cent compared to control mice not treated with creams, the study found.
Non-melanoma skin cancer is very common in humans, and is curable surgically. In very rare cases, however, it can prove fatal.
When the scientists, led by Allan Conney, repeated the experiments with a made-to-order cream missing several suspect ingredients - including mineral oil and sodium lauryl sulphate - the cancer rates dropped sharply.
Dr Conney said further studies were needed to test the impact of topical creams on people as rodent skin, usually covered by fur, is thinner and more permeable than human skin.
His findings were published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, part of the Nature Publishing Group in Britain.