Purchasing Pink

Pink is all around.

It's October 1st. The annual proliferation of pink products promoting breast cancer awareness pervades purchasers' prospective pickings.

This year, there are lots of cosmetics to choose from, along with a Filofax, a vacuum cleaner, kitchen appliances, an iPod and various accessories to dress it up, foods, a Swiss army knife, and a set of pink knitting needles.

Do think pink, but ask: how much of the price you're paying is going to breast cancer research, treatment, and support? Check out the website Think Before You Pink for excellent guidelines on how to Purchase Pink.

Prevention Magazine online has several suggestions for "Beauty that Gives Back," cosmetic companies offering products with some percentage of proceeds going to a variety of breast cancer charities.

For example, La Mer Skin Creme can be purchased for $195 for a 1.7 ounce jar. The company will give $27,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. What do you all think of that price/donation ratio? You do the math.

Here are a few organizations who give at least 50% of product sales' proceeds to breast cancer care, research, and support...

1. Save 2nd base, a Foundation created for Kelly Rooney, a 43 year old woman who succumbed to breast cancer in 2006. The Kelly Rooney Foundation (KRF) focuses on breast cancer prevention in young women and the unique challenges that young women face when diagnosed with breast cancer. Here is one of their clever t-shirts; 50% of the proceeds from this shirt go to the KRF.

2. Philosophy's Shower for the Cure gel is an annual shower gel developed by the company to benefit the Women's Cancer Research Fund. Fully 100% of net proceeds from sales of the gel are donated to the Fund. Smell good by doing good.
3. QVC FFANY Shoes on Sale is an annual event sponsored by the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY) and broadcast by QVC, the electronic retailer. Here's a charity event that even Imelda Marcos could love. That's because scores of very generous, famous shoe manufacturers (including Nine West, Lacoste, Christian Louboutin, Michael Kors, Donna Karan, Kenzo, Lulu Guinness, Marc Jacobs and many other shoe luminaries) donate millions of dollars of shoe inventory which QVC sells for 50% off to customers tuning in to the program. All proceeds go to breast cancer research centers such as The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania; the Breast Cancer Research Foundation; the Gillette Center for Women's Cancers at Dana-Farber; the Joyce Eisenberg Keefer Breast Center at John Wayne Institute at Saint John's Health Center; The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center's Breast Oncology Program; and, the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. Tune in to QVC on the evening of 17th October 2007 to take advantage of doing good while buying great shoes.

Health Populi's Hot Points: THINK PINK, but buy right.