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There is so much talk about Parabens and how they affect us. Have you ever thought "Surely if they are so bad they wouldn't allow it to be added to products we use?"
I have made a conscious decision to have no parabens in our products and that is based on fact that more research is needed to reassure me that they are safe.
Parabens is a type of preservative that is use is cosmetic product to prolong its life, by preventing mould and mildew forming on the product.
Sadly parabens are used often and most commercial products if you look on the label have added parabens.
So why are they used? They are effective as a preservative and they are very cost effective, in other words cheap. That is likely to be the reason why commercial products use it, in order to reduce their costs. I guess it's all about the $$
I am hoping that once you read this you will be interested to do some further reading about parabens yourself to allow you to make and informed decision one way or the other.
I guess my thoughts and beliefs are irrelevant except I don't want on my conscious the thought that I may be causing harm to anyone using my products.
There is a lot written on this subject but what it concerns me the most is the fact that "parabens are known to disrupt hormone function" reports the non-profit Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC). They also can cause skin irritation and some sources claim that it can cause breast cancer.
Is this true? A lot of scientific debate on this topic is very controversial and clearly we would all benefit from more research.
Wikipedia states that "The mainstream cosmetic industry believes that parabens are safe based on their long term use and safety record and scientific studies.
This is somewhat contested by the "Journal of Applied Toxicology by Harvey PW, Everett DJ (2004) "Significance of the detection of esters if p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) in human breast tumours" and
Rita Arditti (June 9, 2004) : Cosmetics, parabens, and breast cancer" Organic Consumers Association
Studies indicate that methylparaben applied to the skin may react with UVB leading to increased skin aging and DNA damage.
It is known to cause skin irritation and contact dermatitis for those of us who have sensitive skin
Wikipedia states that "Paraben discharge into the environment is common due to its ubiquitous usage in cosmetic products. A 2010 study on the consumer available personal care products revealed that 44% of the tested products contain parabens. When washing these products off the human body, they flow down the drain and into community wastewater. Once this occurs, the potential for parabens to accumulate within aqueous and solid mediums materializes."
This of course makes an impact in the ecosystem, and we all need to look after our environment.
According to Wikipedia;
Environmental concerns with paraben degradation products
Multiple studies have linked chlorinated parabens to endocrine disrupting functions, specifically mimicking the effects of estrogen, and chlorinated parabens are believed to be 3–4 times more toxic than their parent paraben.[35][36] In Daphnia magna, general toxicity conferred by chlorinated parabens occurs through non-specific disruption of cell membrane function.[36] The potency of the chlorinated parabens correlates with the propensity of the compound to accumulate in cell membranes.[36] Thus, chlorinated parabens generally increase in toxicity as their ester chains increase in length due to their increased hydrophobicity.[36]
The implications of PHBA's environmental accumulation also warrants attention. If the tertiary effluent is re-used for community use as greywater, it poses a hazard to humans. These hazards include, but are not limited to, abnormal fetal development, endocrine disrupting activity, and improper estrogen-promoting effects.[37] If the tertiary effluent is released to the environment in rivers and streams or if the sludge is used as fertilizer, it poses as a hazard to environmental organisms. It is especially toxic to those organisms on lower trophic levels, particularly various algal species. In fact, it has been shown that the LC50 for a specific algal species, Selenastrum capricornutum, is 0.032 micrograms per litre (μg/L).[38] This is less than the natural abundance of PHBA in tertiary effluent at a level of 0.045 μg/L, thus indicating that current levels of PHBA in tertiary effluent can potentially eradicate more than 50% of Selenastrum capricornutum it comes in contact with.
How do you know if a product you are buying contains parabens? Check the label. If following ingredients are there then they contain parabens
Ethylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben, or any other ingredients ending in paraben.
Shampoos, conditioners, lotions, facial & shower cleansers, soap & scrubs.
Want to avoid parabens? Where do you start? Check the labels of the products you purchase. Choose a handmade product which is made is small batches. You still need to check the label on these as some makers do use parabens.
Thanks for reading and I keep an eye out for my next blog on SLS and SLSA. These will definitely need to be not used in your bath & body products.
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What is Castile Soap? Why are there so many different types of Castile Soap? and Are we being misled?
