LONDON, March 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- A new UK study from the MAC AIDS Fund (MAF), the philanthropic arm of Estee Lauder-owned (NYSE: EL) MAC Cosmetics, shockingly reveals prevalent risky behavior amongst British women due to significant gaps in HIV awareness and education. Almost three quarters (73 percent) of women in the UK admit they've never been tested for HIV and AIDS and more than half (57 percent) of those who aren't routinely tested attribute the widespread nonchalance to a sense of security of not being susceptible or vulnerable to the AIDS virus.

Over the past decade, women have been hard hit across the globe with a steady rise of HIV infection. Specifically, heterosexual transmission of the disease and infection amongst UK-born women has progressively increased. In response, MAF recently launched a new VIVA GLAM campaign focused on strengthening the service network and resources available to women living with and at risk of contracting HIV. Amplified by the star power of new VIVA GLAM spokespeople, Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga, the women's initiative's mission is to empower women everywhere through open communication, awareness and support systems.

As a platform for the new VIVA GLAM campaign, MAF commissioned a national survey to gauge perceptions of HIV/AIDS and its impact on women through the lens of the UK consumer and its leading experts. This side-by-side comparison was a crucial step in assessing key areas fueling the spread of HIV/AIDS in women and outlining potential solutions.

Survey highlights include:

    
    - Ninety-five percent of British women aren't routinely tested for HIV
      and AIDS.
    - Additionally, eighty-two percent of British women who answered our
      survey admitted they've had sex without a condom.
    - Sixty percent of British women who had sexual intercourse without a
      condom did so because they believed they were in an exclusive
      relationship.
    - Sixty percent of British women think HIV and AIDS are not issues that
      impacts women in their community.
    - Nearly one in five British women admits there isn't anything that would
      make them get tested for HIV, even if they've been tested in the past.

"HIV/AIDS is a silent killer among women in the UK and the time is now to sound the alarm that the risk is real," said Nancy Mahon, Executive Director of the MAC AIDS Fund. "The earlier we can diagnose and treat HIV, the better the quality and length of those people's lives. The survey insights are a wake-up call that we need to improve HIV awareness and access to prevention methods for women in the U.K. While HIV is 100 percent preventable, it's not curable. When people know their status, they're more likely to practice prevention -- which for now is the end game in this epidemic we are sadly losing."

For more information, please visit http://www.macaidsfund.org to download the executive summary.

About the M.A.C AIDS Fund

The MAC AIDS Fund, the heart and soul of MAC Cosmetics, was established in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. MAF is a pioneer in HIV/AIDS funding, providing financial support to organizations working with underserved regions and populations. As the largest corporate nonpharmaceutical giver in the arena, MAF is committed to addressing the link between poverty and HIV/AIDS by supporting diverse organizations around the world that provide a wide range of services to people living with HIV/AIDS. To date, MAF has raised over $160 Million (U.S.) exclusively through the sale of MAC's VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass, donating 100 percent of the sale price to fight HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit http://www.macaidsfund.org.

For more information contact:

    
    Jennifer Moore
    +1-212-445-8430
    mac@webershandwick.com

    Tola St. Matthew-Daniel
    +1-347-237-3313
    mac@webershandwick.com