United States

One in Five Women Under 40 Have Never Checked Their Breasts for Signs of Cancer

Press Release, 30 Sep 2019

  • A new survey by The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland reveals that amongst women under 40:
    • One in five have never checked their breasts for signs of cancer
    • Over a third don’t know what they are looking for when checking their breasts for signs of cancer
    • One in seven have never seen or been shown how to check their breasts for signs of cancer
  • Global Ambassador Elizabeth Hurley, TV doctor Dr Zoe Williams and breast cancer survivor Lauren Mahon are supporting The Estée Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Campaign, which aims to encourage women of all ages to be mindful of their breast health
  • To support women with self-checking, The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland is releasing over 650,000 new self-check leaflets on over 1,750 beauty counters across the Region from 1st October in addition to providing these with online orders

September 30, 2019, London, UK – Ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland has released new research which has found that one in five (21%) UK women under the age of 40 have never checked their breasts for signs of cancer.1 This is compared to just 7% of women aged 60-69.1 Over a third (37%) of the women who don’t check their breasts for cancer say this is because they don’t know what they are looking for. Therefore, this year, although breast cancer is most prevalent in women over the age of 40, The Estée Lauder Companies is working with a range of experts to call for women of all ages to check their breasts as part of its mission to end breast cancer.

In the UK, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 10 minutes.2*† Early diagnosis of the disease is essential to improve survival, however, further findings from the new survey reveal that a number of women (22%) find breast checking an embarrassing topic to talk about.1 The younger cohort (aged 18-29) are more embarrassed compared to those aged 60-69 (39% vs 14% respectively).1 What’s more, over one in three (37%) women say they have never spoken to anyone about breast checking.1

The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland Breast Cancer Campaign, alongside a range of experts, is encouraging women of all ages to be mindful of their breast health, regularly check their breasts for changes and to talk about self-checking with others. In a further bid to drive education and awareness, The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland is releasing over 650,000 self-check leaflets in partnership with Breast Cancer Now, which illustrate the signs and symptoms of breast cancer to look out for. The leaflet will be available online and at over 1,750 beauty counters‡ across the UK & Ireland region from 1st October 2019, as well as provided with online orders throughout the month.

Elizabeth Hurley, Global Ambassador to The Estée Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Campaign, comments, “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, where every year around 11,400 people die from the disease2. We need to work together to ensure we’re educating each other about the importance of self-checking so breast cancer can be caught earlier to improve survival. It’s important to try to talk to your mother, sister, daughter, aunt, friend and ask them whether they regularly check their breasts. My grandmother passed away from breast cancer in 1992, the same year the Breast Cancer Campaign began, and she didn’t talk to her loved ones about her cancer; she kept everything to herself. We want to make sure women today don’t have the same experience, so it’s important that we open this conversation and remove the lingering embarrassment and uncertainty around checking your breasts.”

To help spread awareness about the importance of self-checking and understanding of the steps to follow, The Estée Lauder Companies is working with media medic Dr Zoe Williams, who will host a live self-check routine on her IGTV channel (@DrZoeWilliams) on Thursday, October 3 at 8:00pm BST. She comments on her support for The Campaign, “What struck me about these findings is that so many women don’t feel confident to check for signs of breast cancer or feel embarrassed to talk about it. We must change this and make it the norm. Women should be encouraging other women to talk more openly about their breasts across generations in their community, including their mum, grandmother, auntie, sister, or friend, to really inspire conversations around the importance of breast health, self-checking, and simply supporting those who might be unsure of what to look for. Any changes that are found should be presented to their GP. While it’s likely not to be anything serious, earlier diagnosis and treatment will improve chances of survival.”

Lauren Mahon, breast cancer survivor and broadcaster, founder of Girl vs Cancer and co-host of You, Me and the Big C podcast said, “The Estée Lauder Companies’ research confirms my existing concerns – as a young woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 31, I was well aware that I was not checking my breasts and that my peers were not doing so either. That is what has given me the drive to be involved in campaigns such as this – it is so important for women to ‘know their normal’ and know how to check. I’m over the moon to be supporting The Estée Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Campaign this year to help raise vital awareness of the importance of self-examination and making it a part of your self-care routine. Small steps such as this will help save so many lives.”

In 1992, the late Evelyn H. Lauder founded The Estée Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Campaign and co-created the iconic Pink Ribbon to raise awareness and fundraising, kick starting a global movement. A year later, she founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). The Breast Cancer Campaign aims to unite and inspire people around the world in its mission to create a breast cancer-free world. The Campaign has raised more than $79 million globally to support research, education and medical services through the collective support of consumers, employees and partners worldwide, with more than $65 million funding 260 medical research grants through BCRF. This year, The Campaign aims to raise a further $9 million globally. In the UK & Ireland, the Campaign has funded nearly $13 million of medical research grants through the BCRF.

The focus of The Campaign in the UK & Ireland this year is to encourage women to check their breasts for signs of cancer and spread the word amongst family and friends about checking their breasts for changes and has a simple call to action: it’s #TimeToEndBreastCancer.

- ENDS –

For more information, please contact: [email protected] and [email protected] / 0 (20) 3003 6543

Notes to Editors

Further research1

Opinium surveyed 2,017 UK women (aged 18+) between 27th June – 2nd July 2019. Results were weighted to be nationally representative by age, social grade and region. Additional findings from the survey include:

  • One in seven (15%) women under 40 have never seen or been shown how to check their breasts for signs of cancer, compared to just 6% of 60-69-year olds
  • Women are more likely to say that they have gone to the dentist in the last six months than checked their breast for irregularities (25% vs 11%)
  • Three in five women agree that they should check their breasts more often than they currently do (61%)
  • Over a third (37%) of women who have never checked their breasts say it is because they don’t know what they are looking for and one in seven (14%) say it is because they are scared to check
  • When asked about their knowledge of the symptoms of breast cancer, only a third (33%) of women can correctly identify all the symptoms of breast cancer
  • A quarter of women aged 18-29 (23%) have never checked their breasts for cancer and one in seven (15%) women under 40 say they have never been shown or seen how to check their breasts for cancer – this is even lower for younger women, 18% of 18-29 year olds vs 6% of 60-69 year olds

PINK RIBBON PRODUCTS

Nine of The Estée Lauder Companies’ brands are supporting The Campaign’s mission to create a breast cancer-free world and raise funds for BCRF by offering pink products during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Pink Ribbon Products have a dedicated page on the ELCompanies.co.uk/BreastCancerCampaign page with links to e-commerce sites.

To note, the following Pink Ribbon Products are available in the UK & Ireland:

  • AVEDA – Hand Relief Moisturising Creme with Cherry Almond Aroma
    • Donation: USD $5 per purchase, with a maximum donation of $325,000
    • Available: Aveda.co.uk from 1/10/19 through 30/9/20.
  • BECCA – Ultimate Lipstick Love Pink Ribbon
    • Donation: 20% of the RRP less VAT
    • Available: In store and online at Boots, ASOS, John Lewis, Harrods and Cult Beauty between September 20, 2019 – to June 30, 2020.
  • BOBBI BROWN – Proud to Be Pink Lip Color Duo
    • Donation £5 per product purchased
    • Available: Bobbi Brown Cosmetics counters nationwide, in Ireland, Jersey and at bobbibrown.co.uk from 09/09/2019 to 30/06/2020 while supplies last
  • CLINIQUE – Great Skin, Great Cause Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion+
    • Donation: £7.84 per product purchased
    • Available: Clinique.co.uk from 15/9/19 – 30/6/20.
  • DARPHIN – INTRAL Redness Relief Soothing Serum
    • Donation: 20% RRP less VAT
    • Available: Darphin.co.uk and all authorised Darphin retailers including SpaceNK, Harrods and Look Fantastic
  • ESTÉE LAUDER - Limited-Edition Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II with Pink Ribbon Keychain
    • Donation: 20% of RRP less VAT, with a maximum donation of £53,200
    • Available: Selected counters nationwide and online esteelauder.co.uk
  • GLAMGLOW - Limited-Edition GLOWLACE Radiance-Boosting Hydration Sheet Mask
  • ORIGINS - THINK BOLD Limited-Edition Blooming Bold Lipstick kit
    • Donation: 100% of RRP less VAT, with a maximum donation of £1,600
    • Available: Origins.co.uk
  • JO MALONE – Red Roses 100ml Cologne
    • Donation: £20 per purchase in the UK and €25 per purchase in Ireland
    • Available: Jomalone.co.uk and in JML boutiques
  • LA MER – Limited Edition Treatment Lotion
    • Donation: 20% of RRP less VAT, with a maximum donation of £3,000
    • Available: In store and online lamer.co.uk

ABOUT THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES

The Estée Lauder Companies is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Company’s products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger, M·A·C, Kiton, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan New York, DKNY, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Michael Kors, Darphin, Tom Ford, Smashbox, Ermenegildo Zegna, AERIN, Tory Burch, RODIN olio lusso, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, By Kilian, BECCA and Too Faced.

* New cases of invasive breast cancer, 2014-2016 average, UK
† Calculation: 525600 minutes a year / 55200 cases = 9.52. Rounded up to 10.

‡ Brand counters displaying the leaflets: Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, ELC Corporate Stores, Estée Lauder, By Kilian, Jo Malone London, La Mer, Origins and Smashbox

1Opinium surveyed 2,017 UK women (aged 18+) between 27th June – 2nd July 2019. Results were weighted to be nationally representative by age, social grade and region.

2Cancer Research UK. Breast Cancer Statistics. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/breast-cancer#heading-Zero [Accessed August 2019]

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