L'Oreal Paris Launches New Alliance with Melanoma Research Alliance To Help Fight Melanoma Among American Women of All Skin Tones

More Than Half of American Women Give Themselves a "C" Or Lower for Healthy Sun Care Habits

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May 06, 2013, 09:01 ET

NEW YORK, May 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today on "Melanoma Monday," L'Oreal Paris, the leading global beauty brand, released a new survey on melanoma awareness and prevention among women of all skin tones, and announced a philanthropic alliance with the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA). Over the next three years, L'Oreal Paris will donate over $750,000 to the MRA to fund the new L'Oreal Paris-MRA Team Science Award, led by internationally renowned cancer researcher Dr. Meenhard Herlyn, to research ways to help prevent, cure and treat melanoma, the fastest growing cancer in the world and the deadliest form of skin cancer.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130506/NY07663 )

L'Oreal Paris will help fund the melanoma research through sales of its line of SPF sun care products, Sublime Sun. Through December 31^st 2013, for every Sublime Sun product sold in the U.S., L'Oreal Paris will donate $1 to the MRA for the L'Oreal Paris-MRA Team Science Award, up to $250,000. 100% of the donation will go toward the research.

Throughout Melanoma/Skin Cancer Awareness Month in May and into the summer, L'Oreal Paris will also help create awareness and education for women of all skin tones about melanoma prevention through its Website, social media and spokesmodels. Today, fewer than a quarter (22%) of American women would give themselves an A for healthy sun care habits, according to the survey commissioned by L'Oreal Paris and conducted by Kelton Global. And, while people of all skin tones are at risk for melanoma, only 21% of Hispanic women and just 12% of African-American women give themselves an A when it comes to sun protection.

L'Oreal Paris is encouraging people to test their "Skin IQ" and learn about melanoma myths and facts by visiting lorealparisusa.com/sun. To get further involved in the donation, people can also make a pledge on Facebook and Twitter to protect their skin. For each pledge from May through July 2013, the company will donate an additional $1 to the MRA, up to $10,000.

"The Melanoma Research Alliance is an incredible organization that has made significant strides in funding melanoma research and advancing treatment. We are very proud to partner with the MRA to help find a cure for melanoma and drive awareness around this disease," said Karen Fondu, President of L'Oreal Paris. "Our hope is to help drastically reduce the growing incidence of melanoma in this country by educating women that sunscreen should be a part of their daily beauty routine, no matter your skin tone or where you live."

"We are truly delighted to have this innovative collaboration with L'Oreal Paris. L'Oreal is a world-leading health and beauty brand that shares our commitment to defeating deadly skin cancer," said Debra Black, founder of MRA and a melanoma survivor. "Their generous commitment of support for game-changing melanoma research comes at such a crucial time in the field. Their amazing support also provides us with the ability to raise awareness and educate the public about ways to prevent and detect melanoma and other skin cancers."

Survey Shows Women Are Not Taking Preventative Steps against Melanoma

In the L'Oreal Paris survey conducted by Kelton, while the majority of American women are aware of melanoma, over half of women give themselves a "C" or lower when grading their healthy sun care habits. Hispanic and African American women, among whom the incidence of melanoma is growing, are even less likely to take steps to protect their skin.

"Sometimes Latinas like myself and other women of color have this false perception that we aren't at risk for skin cancer, when in fact, the rate of melanoma is actually increasing for us and can be more deadly," said actress, philanthropist and L'Oreal Paris spokesperson Eva Longoria. "We all need to wear sunscreen daily, get our skin checked regularly and be aware of the signs."

Some of the key findings from the survey include:

Women lack information about melanoma and want to know more
- 95% percent of American women who have heard of melanoma know that it first affects the skin, but for many, the knowledge stops there.
- Of those women who know of melanoma, far fewer know that not reapplying sunscreen every two hours (54%) or having freckles or moles (54%) could put someone at a higher risk for the disease.
- Less than three in ten (28%) American women believe it's possible they could develop melanoma in their lifetimes; this belief is even lower among African-American (7%) and Hispanic (16%) women.
- While fewer than three in ten (28%) American women who are aware of the disease believe they have a chance of developing it, almost one in four (23%) stress that they would like to know more about it.
Women know they should wear sunscreen, but don't
- Lack of sunscreen use is likely why many American women give themselves failing sun care grades. A third (33%) of those who think they would earn a C or worse admit they rarely, if ever, wear sunscreen, versus 7 percent of those who would grade themselves better.
- 21% of US women, 17% of Hispanic women and 37% of African-American women never or rarely wear sunscreen.
- Almost half (46% of US women, 46% of Hispanic women and 36% of African-American women polled) only wear sunscreen when they know they'll be in the sun for a long time.
- Less than one in ten (9%) American women wear sunscreen daily and reapply it every few hours.
An alarming percentage of American women don't take steps to check their skin for melanoma
- A minority (30 percent of American women, 15% of Hispanics and 19% African Americans) regularly give themselves skin exams.
- 86% of US women would NOT recognize a melanoma on themselves.
- Only 11% of American women regularly see a dermatologist.
- 88% of US women, 89% of Hispanic women and a shocking 96% of African American women have not had any kind of dialogue with a doctor about melanoma.

L'Oreal Paris-MRA Team Science Award to Fund Research on Melanoma Drivers

The L'Oreal Paris MRA Team Award will be awarded to researchers from the prestigious Wistar Institute and University of Pennsylvania in the United States, Oslo University Hospital in Norway and Leeds University in the United Kingdom. The research will be led by Meenhard Herlyn D.V.M., D.Sc. from the Wistar Institute, whose laboratory focuses on the biology that underlies melanoma.

The dynamic team of researchers will take an in depth look into the drivers of melanoma susceptibility, development and progression to help lead to prevention and therapy for the disease. People with genetically determined phenotypes such as light skin color which tans poorly, red hair, blue eyes or many moles are generally considered more susceptible to melanoma compared to those with none of these attributes. However, the fact that only a few of these individuals contract the disease suggests that environmental traits may also play a major role in susceptibility.

The expectation from the studies is the identification of co-drivers that cooperate with driver genes which will in the future be the targets for melanoma prevention and therapy.

Long History of Sun Protection at L'Oreal

The first sun protection in the world was created in 1936 by Eugene Schueller, the founder of L'Oreal, and the company's research of the effects of ultraviolet radiation on skin have led L'Oreal Paris to develop safe and efficient sun protection products for all skin tones. L'Oreal Paris' Sublime Sun line is tested on all ethnicities, contains patented UVA/UVB protection, a non-whitening formula that blends invisibly on all skin tones and a non-greasy texture that people want to reapply, helping to keep people better protected from melanoma and other skin cancers.

New for 2013, L'Oreal Paris Sublime Sun introduces two new sunscreen forms, high SPF oils and foaming mousse sunscreens, as well as expanded SPF offerings for the pre-existing Sublime Sun line. Offering consumers a wider range of options for optimal sun protection, these luxurious new forms feature the same photostable UV filter system and powerful antioxidants as the original Sublime Sun lotions and clear spray mists.

THE FULL L'Oreal PARIS SUBLIME SUN COLLECTION INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING 12 PRODUCTS:

FOR FACE
NEW! Sublime Sun Liquid Silk Sunshield for Face SPF 30, 1.7 fl oz, Price: $9.99
Sublime Sun Liquid Silk Sunshield for Face SPF 50+, 1.7 fl oz, Price: $10.99

FOR BODY
NEW! Sublime Sun Feather Light Foaming Lotion Sunscreen SPF 30, 5.0 fl oz, Price: $9.99
NEW! Sublime Sun Feather Light Foaming Lotion Sunscreen SPF 50+, 5.0 fl oz, Price: $10.99
NEW! Sublime Sun Sheer Protect Sunscreen Oil SPF 15, 5.0 fl oz, Price: $9.99
NEW! Sublime Sun Sheer Protect Sunscreen Oil SPF 30, 5.0 fl oz, Price: $10.99
NEW! Sublime Sun Sheer Protect Sunscreen Oil SPF 50+, 5.0 fl oz, Price: $10.99
NEW! Sublime Sun Lotion SPF 100, 3.0 fl oz, Price: $10.99
Sublime Sun Lotion SPF 50+, 3.0 fl oz, Price: $10.99
Sublime Sun Lotion SPF 30, 3.0 fl oz, Price: $9.99
Sublime Sun Crystal Clear Mist Spray SPF 50+, 4.2 fl oz, Price: $10.99
Sublime Sun Crystal Clear Mist Spray SPF 30, 4.2 fl oz, Price: $9.99

About L'Oreal PARIS:
The L'Oreal Paris division of L'Oreal USA, Inc. is a total beauty care company that combines the latest technology with the highest in quality for the ultimate in luxury beauty at mass. The L'Oreal Paris brand encompasses the four major beauty categories – hair color, haircare, skincare and cosmetics – and includes such well-known brands as Preference, Excellence, Feria and Healthy Look hair color; Advanced Haircare, Elnett Satin Hairspray, EverPure, EverStrong, EverSleek, EverCreme, EverStyle, EverCurl, Studio Line and L'Oreal Kids hair care; Youth Code, Revitalift, Age Perfect, Ideal Clean, Ideal Moisture, Go 360 Clean, Sublime Bronze, Sublime Sun and Men's Expert skincare; and the Colour Riche, True Match, Infallible, Visible Lift and Studio Secrets Professional MAGIC cosmetics collections, along with a portfolio of mascara including Voluminous, Double Extend and Telescopic among many others. For more information on L'Oreal Paris and its brands, and to receive personalized beauty advice, expert tips and exclusive beauty content 24-7 (wherever you may be), check out My Signature Beauty – a round-the-clock beauty service powered by www.lorealparisusa.com.

About the Melanoma Research Alliance
MRA is a public charity formed in 2007 under the auspices of the Milken Institute, with the generous founding support of Debra and Leon Black. MRA is poised to build on recent momentum in the field, accelerating the pace of scientific discovery and translation in order to eliminate suffering and death due to melanoma. MRA's ability to fund wide-ranging research in melanoma is amplified by unique multi-faceted collaborations and partnerships with individuals, private foundations and corporations. To date the MRA has awarded $48 million to 116 research projects worldwide.

*Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Kelton Global on behalf of L'Oreal Paris from April 4 - 10, 2013 among 513 nationally representative American women, 328 African-American women and 304 Hispanic women, all ages 18 and older.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results.

For the sample of nationally representative American women, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 4.3 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for African-American women is 5.4 percentage points; the margin of error for Hispanic women is 5.6 percentage points.

SOURCE L'Oreal Paris