United States
Breast Cancer Campaign
The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Campaign (The Campaign) unites and inspires people globally in its mission to help create a breast cancer-free world for all. Founded in 1992 by the late Evelyn H. Lauder with the launch of the iconic Pink Ribbon, The Campaign is The Estée Lauder Companies’ largest corporate social impact programme. Together, The Campaign and The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation have funded more than $144 million for lifesaving global research, education, and medical services with more than $114 million funding medical research through the Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF). BCRF is dedicated to advancing the world’s most promising research to eradicate breast cancer.
In the UK and Ireland, The Campaign focuses on the relationship between intersectionality and disparities in breast cancer care, as well as providing accessible education on early detection.
ELC engages local ambassadors and organisations to increase breast cancer awareness across diverse and multi-generational audiences in the UK. We work closely with BCC UK impact partners, including Future Dreams, Breast Cancer Now and Look Good Feel Better to build awareness for breast health all year round through a programme of events, talks and research.
As part of our commitment to Future Dreams we continue to support London’s first-ever specialised breast cancer centre, Future Dreams House, which opened in 2021 and offers personalised patient services.
We are also amplifying the vital work of the UK BCC Regional Campaign Ambassadors – founder of GIRLvsCANCER Lauren Mahon, founder of Black Women Rising Leanne Pero MBE, breast cancer warrior Kreena Dhiman, and GP Dr Zoe Williams – as they work tirelessly to reach even more under-represented communities across the UK with the ever-important self-check message.
Voices of The Breast Cancer Campaign
UK&I BCC Regional Ambassadors
Dr Zoe Williams
GP and Broadcaster
Q&A
Dr Zoe Williams MBBS, DRCOG, MRCGP, is a practicing NHS GP in London, who was recently named on the Pulse Power 50 list as one of the most influential GPs in the country. With a portfolio GP career consisting of multiple non-clinical GP roles, including National Advisor for Public Health England (National Physical Clinical Champions Programme), RCGP Clinical Champion (Physical Activity and Lifestyle) and Clinical Associate for Southwark CCG (Obesity Programme), Zoe is also a director and founding member of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine. Zoe’s ambition has always been to combine her dedication to medicine along with her passions for health and fitness as well as forging ahead with a successful career in media. Zoe has gone on to become the resident GP on ITV’s popular daytime show ‘This Morning’.
Leanne Pero MBE
Breast cancer survivor,
campaigner and founder of Black Women Rising
Q&A
Leanne Pero is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, mentor and breast cancer survivor. In 2016 Leanne was diagnosed with stage 3 Breast Cancer, just days after her 31st birthday, and underwent 8 gruelling rounds of chemo and a bilateral mastectomy. Using her platform to raise awareness for cancer she began blogging, detailing her journey and the challenges she faced as a woman of colour, when accessing cancer support services. Feeling excluded and unrepresented in mainstream cancer support groups, she began to interact with many women who, like her, were struggling with depression, trauma and isolation. Overwhelmed with the many stories many of which echoed her own experience, Leanne created the Black Women Rising support group to provide a free, safe space for women of colour to come together and talk openly and frankly about their cancer battles.
Lauren Mahon
Breast cancer survivor,
campaigner, author, podcaster
and founder of GIRLvsCANCER
Lauren Mahon
Breast cancer survivor,
campaigner, author, podcaster
and founder of GIRLvsCANCER
Q&A
Living beyond breast cancer since 2016 and co-host of the groundbreaking, multi-award-winning BBC 5 Live podcast ‘You Me & The Big C’. Lauren lends her straight-talking voice to relentlessly campaigning for the cancer community and fighting to bring about essential change through her charity collective GIRLvsCANCER. She was recently awarded an honourary doctorate in medical science by the Institute of Cancer Research London. Once described as having ‘Big Sister Energy’ Lauren has established herself as an influential and respected voice receiving a variety of awards, such as the Triumph Award at the Inaugural Stylist Remarkable Women Awards. 2019 also saw her named on the BBC 100 Remarkable Women List, which heroes inspiring and influential women from around the world. Lauren’s infectious personality, valuable opinions, expert ideas, relatable candour & engaging voice is impossible to ignore and only continues to become increasingly powerful, whatever subject she puts her energy into. She has cemented herself as a sought-after choice for broadcast and brand partnerships alike.
Kreena Dhiman
Breast cancer warrior, podcaster and co-founder of South Asian Supernovas, an organisation created to improve outcomes and awareness of breast cancer in the South Asian community
Kreena Dhiman
Breast cancer warrior, podcaster and co-founder of South Asian Supernovas, an organisation created to improve outcomes and awareness of breast cancer in the South Asian community
Q&A
Kreena is a South Asian woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, aged 33. No lump was initially detected, but a nipple inversion was her key warning sign. Three years after her diagnosis, Kreena went onto suffer acute heart failure, a side effect of her chemotherapy. After a long journey with infertility, secondary to breast cancer, Kreena finally found motherhood through surrogacy and egg donation. She is now a mum to triplet boys and a little girl; she is also co-founder of The Intended Parent, a platform that supports people through surrogacy in the UK. Kreena advocates widely for the South Asian perspective of breast cancer, heart failure and infertility to be heard. She is a public speaker and is currently writing her first book. She delivers workshops and keynote talks on The Art of Being Brave encouraging her audience connect with vulnerability and acceptance transforming their pain into purpose.
Advocate for your breast health
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Donate to scientific research*
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*BCRF grantees in the UK & Ireland include Dame Lesley Fallowfield, DBE, BSc, DPhil, FMedSci, Professor, Psycho-oncology at Brighton & Sussex Medical School University of Sussex; and Andrew Tutt, MB, ChB, PhD, Head of Division of Breast Cancer Research and Director of Breast Cancer Now Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, London. To date in the UK, ELC has funded $16m of grants through the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
- #1 Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women.1
- 1 in 7 women in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.2
- 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year.3
- 10 A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 10 mins in the UK.3
- 2% Annual increase of diagnoses in women under 50 over the past five years.5
- 40% improvement in breast cancer mortality rates seen in higher income countries since the 1980’s; however this has not been achieved in lower and middle-income countries.4
1 World Health Organisation, 2024
2 Cancer Research UK
3 Breast Cancer Now
4 World Health Organisation The Global Breast Cancer Initiative
5 The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Encouraging all to Self-Check
In 2022, The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland commissioned new research** that revealed that:
- Eight in ten (78%) women in the UK aren’t checking their breasts regularly and a third admit they never check themselves for signs of breast cancer.
- Self-checking rates are lowest amongst South Asian women (63%), women under 40 (69%), and Black women (76%).
- Over a fifth (21%) of South Asian women said they fear their community or family would judge them if they found out they were regularly checking their breasts.
- A quarter (24%) of Black women said they don’t regularly self-check due to lack of education from older female relatives, with 14% not feeling comfortable touching their breasts.
- Half of women under the age of 40 thinking you can only get breast cancer in your 50s, and 46% thinking they are too ‘flat-chested’ to be affected.
The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland has partnered with Breast Cancer Now to create a self-check leaflet that illustrates the signs and symptoms to look out for when checking your breasts. The company aims to encourage all to regularly check their breasts for signs of breast cancer and not to put off visiting their GP if they have any concerns.
**Unless otherwise stated, all statistics are from a survey carried out by One Poll on behalf of The Estée Lauder Companies’ UK & Ireland Breast Cancer Campaign amongst 2,000 people in the UK who identify as women aged 18 plus between 8 September and 20 September 2022
