How would you feel about incorporating another step into your morning routine, if it meant potentially saving your own life?

The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation has partnered with Skinfood on a new beauty product that aims to make checking your breasts for irregularities a daily ritual.

Breast Cream, which is only available during October for Breast Cancer Month, isn’t any different from your regular moisturiser, other than that it encourages women to get to know how their breasts look and feel so they can detect changes which could indicate cancer.

These symptoms include puckering of the skin, dimples, lumps or orange peel texture, among others.

NZBCF ambassador Helena McAlpine said women spend a lot of time on their hair, makeup and nails, but neglected the most important parts of their bodies.

“When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, I had paid no attention until the lump in my breast was so big, it was poking out of my skin.

“If I was regularly checking my breasts in the shower every morning, I would have noticed that lump months or even a year before it had gotten to that size.”

McAlpine said it was hard to believe women still felt uncomfortable about having to check their own breasts.

“And that’s what breast cancer awareness month is all about. It’s not about just buying something pink, or raising money for research or helping terminally sick women like me, it’s about reminding everybody that you can actually save your own life.”

Breast Cream retails for $11.99, with $2 from each sale going directly to the NZBCF.