With all the controversy surrounding the use of the popular preservatives known as parabens in almost every mass produced beauty product, it seems that science has us working our worry lines. And maybe for good reason: it's been clinically proven that these chemicals mimic the hormone estrogen when absorbed through our skin, and it's been well documented that an increase of estrogen has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.
Parabens, still considered safe by the EPA, are not hidden in the ingredient list on products; the most common ones are methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben, and most of the time, they are used in conjunction with each other (comforting, isn't it?).
The use of parabens is most common in moisturizers and makeup: topically applied products. Our skin is our largest organ and an increasingly popular means to administer medicine; just look at all the transdermally administered prescriptions that now exist in our pharmaceutical world (birth control patches are a great example), so you can see how worrisome it is when you realize the implications of absorbing these estrogen-mimicking chemicals directly into our skin!
The good news is that paraben-free products not only exist, they are slowly becoming commonplace in our spas, health stores, and food markets.
The concept of adding preservatives to products remains important, however, so that our product safety and shelf life expectations are still met. Choosing product lines that use grapefruit seed extract, lemon, essential oils, salt or sugar as natural preservatives should fill your preservative needs, and while these products tend to be pricier than their paraben alternatives, their quality will more than compensate.
I will forever suffer for fashion (Manolos, I will never forsake you!), but can we really afford to suffer for beauty?
Will you still buy your favorite products knowing the risks?
Monday, March 3, 2008
Paraben There, Done That!
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5 comments:
Parabens and phthalates are big concerns that are finally getting the attention our health deserves. An excellent book is Not Just a Pretty Face by Stacy Malkin of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. It is an easy read but is packed with evidence against some very commonplace ingredients used by the "big name" companies. Parabens and phthalates along with petroleum products and sulfates are just some of the ingredients that have been tied to everything from skin irritation to cancer and endocrine disruptors. Very disturbing!
-Kristin Miller
Founder/owner
Garden Girl natural skin care
www.gardengirlskincare.com
gdngrl.blogspot.com
"Your usage of parabens today, could cost you some serious parabenjamins in the future."
- Theodore Roosevelt
THAT IS SO TRUE!! I never thought of the fact that we really DO absorb everything we put on our skin, even medicine, birthcontrol /Nicolette (what is next I wonder?) We need to open our eyes and read those labels!
wow! This week's blog on parabens was good timing for me. I just started at a new clinic where we are reviewing which products we want to endorse for retail. When discussing OBAGI, I had heard more than once that it contains parabens. I was thinking... "what is that?" Very important information. I hope they continue to research if this is a substantial problem for topicals. Certainly OBAGI is not something you use only once... you take a break for 6 months, but it is still encouraged for use over a lifetime. Do you know what the utility is for the use of parabens in products? Do they preserve it, or make the product more usable in some way? Why aren't these manufacturers just skipping it altogether?
Parabens are the cheapest and historically the safest preservatives; they increase the shelf life of products while keeping the cost down. Prior to the realization that they do adversely affect hormonal levels by mimicing estrogen, they were considered the best bet in preserving and extending the shelf life of products. They do not add value to any product other than as a preservative. The good news is that there are naturally occurring ingredients that can act at preservatives as well, and that seems to be the next big push in the beauty industry!
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