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Beyond the Pink Ribbon: My Journey to Questioning Breast Cancer Prevention
Every October, companies prominently display pink ribbons to promote breast cancer awareness. Some make meaningful contributions to research and patient support. Others use the cause to market products without adequately addressing questions about their own ingredients and manufacturing practices. If companies truly care about women's health, shouldn't their commitment extend beyond a pink ribbon to the products they sell?
Long before breast cancer became personal, I was questioning the products we put on our bodies, the food we eat, and the chemicals we encounter every day.
As an esthetician and later a health coach, I began learning about skincare ingredients, pesticides such as glyphosate, and the potential health implications of environmental exposures.
I became increasingly aware of how chemicals surround us — in our food, cosmetics, plastics, household products, and the air we breathe. I often refer to it as swimming in a toxic soup.
Over the years, people have often asked me for my “Stephanie-approved” list of personal care products because they know how seriously I take ingredient transparency and informed choices. I encourage women to read and understand labels rather than rely solely on marketing slogans like “heart healthy” or “dermatologist tested.”
These claims may sound reassuring, but they don’t necessarily tell us everything we need to know about a product’s ingredients or potential health implications.
Ingredients such as parabens (including methylparaben and propylparaben), phthalates, Bisphenol A (BPA), and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, have raised health concerns and deserve closer scrutiny.
Oxybenzone and undisclosed fragrance mixtures have also prompted questions about potential hormonal effects and exposure. The evidence varies by ingredient and exposure route, but women deserve greater transparency and all the information they need to make informed choices.
Years ago, while working as a traveling makeup artist and esthetician, a physician I worked with noticed that I carried my cellphone in my pants or bra. She warned me against it. At the time, I didn’t fully understand her concerns, but the conversation stayed with me.
It reinforced a lesson that has followed me ever since: We shouldn’t assume something is safe simply because it’s become part of our daily lives. We need to ask questions, seek credible information, and be willing to look more closely at what we may otherwise take for granted.
That same mindset carries into the products we buy. As consumers, we have more power than we may realize. We can vote with our wallets by supporting companies that prioritize ingredient transparency, responsible manufacturing, and safer alternatives.
When a company wraps its products in pink ribbons every October but doesn’t meaningfully address legitimate questions about its ingredients, we must ask questions. Breast cancer awareness should mean more than marketing. It should include a genuine commitment to women’s health.
When cancer became personal
Then, in 2019, cancer touched my own family. While livestreaming from the Battle of Trenton, I learned that my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
I’ll never forget that moment — the fear of losing her, the sadness of knowing what she might endure, and the questions that immediately flooded my mind. Would she be OK? What would treatment look like? Even with everything I had learned about health and prevention, nothing prepares you for hearing that someone you love has cancer.
My mother showed a strength I will never forget. She faced her diagnosis with courage, reminding me how much strength we can find when we’re forced to face the unknown.
But while my mother was facing one of the scariest experiences of our family’s life, I was fighting a battle of my own. During the COVID era, I was fighting for my religious exemption and advocating for medical freedom, trying to have my beliefs and personal choices respected.
It was an emotionally exhausting time, and balancing my own fears and uncertainty with my mother’s diagnosis was incredibly difficult. I had to find the strength to keep standing up for what I believed in while putting my own worries aside to be there for her. More than anything, I wanted her to know she wasn’t alone.
My mother, mother-in-law, and stepmother-in-law have all faced breast cancer. Watching women I love navigate this disease has made prevention deeply personal.
I wanted my mother not only to survive but to thrive. And I couldn’t stop wondering: What are we doing to understand why so many women develop breast cancer in the first place?
Genetics and family history matter, but they may not tell the whole story. A 2008 study from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center stated that only 5%-10% of cancer cases could be attributed to genetic defects, while the remaining 90%-95% were linked to environmental and lifestyle factors.
These findings underscore the importance of investigating potential contributors beyond genetics. We need independent research, greater transparency, and honest conversations about cancer prevention — not just treatment after a diagnosis.
Beyond the pinkwashing
Every October, companies prominently display pink ribbons to promote breast cancer awareness. Some make meaningful contributions to research and patient support. Others use the cause to market products without adequately addressing questions about their own ingredients and manufacturing practices.
If companies truly care about women’s health, shouldn’t their commitment extend beyond a pink ribbon to the products they sell?
As an esthetician, health coach, and daughter of a breast cancer survivor, I’ve learned that awareness alone isn’t enough. My journey has taught me to look more closely at everyday ingredients, question marketing claims, and take an active role in protecting my family’s health.
For me, that means taking a stand with every dollar I spend. I believe we should stop supporting products containing ingredients with established carcinogenic risks when safer alternatives are available, and support companies that prioritize transparency and responsible manufacturing.
I recognize that smaller brands committed to carefully selected ingredients may cost more, but I see that spending as an investment in our health. I’d rather invest in healthier choices upfront than face the emotional and financial costs of disease later.
Every purchase sends a message. By supporting responsible companies and demanding better from those that fall short, we can push for meaningful change.
We also need independent research and greater transparency about potential cancer risk factors, including environmental exposures and electromagnetic radiation, while allowing credible scientific evidence to guide our conclusions.
Having watched so many women I love face breast cancer, I want more than awareness campaigns. I want to understand why breast cancer diagnoses are rising among younger women, what factors may be contributing, and what we can do to reduce risks and protect future generations.
I’m incredibly grateful my mother survived, but her experience changed the way I look at health and prevention. As a mother and health advocate, I want to understand more, question what we’re told, and make informed choices for myself and my family. I believe all women deserve that same opportunity.
Moving beyond the pink ribbon means turning awareness into action, demanding accountability, supporting meaningful research, and making choices that reflect a genuine commitment to women’s health. Breast Cancer Awareness Month may end, but our responsibility to keep asking questions and advocating for change doesn’t.
Share your story: Beyond the pink ribbon
Breast Cancer Awareness Month may be ending, but the conversation shouldn’t stop here. Have you or someone you love been affected by breast cancer? Have you questioned everyday product ingredients, environmental exposures, or pinkwashing?
CHD Community wants to hear your story! Share your experience and help call for greater transparency, accountability, and cleaner ingredients in our food and personal care products.
Click here to submit your story to CHD Community and help keep the conversation going!
