What You Should Know About Parabens

In a world where FEAR seems to be a big motivator, too many companies are taking your fear to the bank. The list of 'natural' companies keeps growing, which sounds like a good thing. But are they truly looking out for you? Or are they just taking your hard earned money and hoping you won't do your due diligence?

You’d think that, since more and more brands have sworn off parabens, products have become safer, right? You would hear about 'natural' product recalls if they existed, right? Brands wouldn't mislead you into thinking their products are safer for you or the environment, right? Wrong, wrong, and you guessed it, wrong.

Beauty brands, in particular, used a single study as a clever way to increase their sales. The 2004 study, which showed that parabens were present in the tissues of patients with breast cancer, got enough press to create a lot of hysteria (and create a whole new niche market ~ cha-ching!). The idea that Parabens lead to Cancer has stuck. There's only one problem. It hasn't been proven true. In fact, no study has shown a direct correlation.

You see, parabens are naturally occurring in foods like blueberries, carrots and olives. And they've been used for decades in our skincare and cosmetics. Why? Because they're a SAFE and EFFECTIVE method of controlling bacterial and fungal growth. Without parabens, we'd all need to prepare fresh skincare and cosmetic products on a weekly basis, if not more often, to avoid dangerous levels of bacteria that could make us VERY ill.

So, while these 'natural' companies are enjoying their profits, they could actually be putting your health at risk. (Isn't that what they said they were trying to avoid??) If their products aren't using parabens to control fungus and bacteria....WHAT are they using? You might be surprised to learn that paraben substitutes can actually do more harm than good. If your skincare or cosmetic reps tell you a product is 'natural' and 'paraben-free', I encourage you to ask them WHAT ingredient is controlling the fungus and bacteria in the products they're trying to sell to you. (Wait for the stunned silence.)

Below is a list of ingredients used by companies who pride themselves on being 'paraben-free' -

Formaldehyde-Releasing (irritating to skin): 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1, 3-diol , Diazolidinyl urea , DMDM hydantoin , Hydroxymethylglycinate , Imidazolidinyl urea , Quaternium-15 , Trishydroxymethylnitromethane

Organic Acids (ONLY kill fungi, not bacteria): Salicylic acid, Benzoic acid, Sorbic acid

Sodium Benzoate (Effective against fungi and yeast, but not so effective against bacteria): Warning - When used together with low concentrations of vitamin C, it forms benzene, a known carcinigen

Potassium Sorbate: Synthetically altered before being added to cosmetics, it's very effective at killing fungi, but struggles with bacteria

Essential Oils (must be used in very high concentrations to be effective, which is irritating to the skin; ineffective in skincare and cosmetics): Clove, Thyme, Tea Tree

Effective at killing bacteria, but cause Allergies and Irritations: Methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) and Methylisothiazolinone (MIT)

Anti-Oxidants (these are mistaken as preservatives but, will not kill dangerous microorganisms): Vitamin E, grape fruit seed extract, rosemary,

To Sum it Up --

1. Reputable science says that the minute amounts of parabens used in cosmetics and OTC products are safe!

2. Paraben alternatives are either more harsh or less effective.

3. Bonus: parabens are broken down naturally in the environment, so they don’t add to pollution.

   It's always best to be a bit skeptical and do your research. If your preferred skincare's representative doesn't know how to answer that one simple question about what's protecting you from dangerous bacteria, I'd suggest running the other way and finding a new brand.

Parabens: Are They Safe?

As a female cancer survivor, I tend to become hyper aware when I hear conversations that include "cancer." Lately, I've heard the words "Parabens" and "Breast Cancer" in the same sentence…a LOT. So, I decided to do some investigating. You might be surprised by what I found.

By definition, a paraben is any of a group of compounds used as preservatives in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products and in the food industry.  Parabens have been widely used in products to prevent bacteria growth since the 1950s. About 85 percent of cosmetics include them. The Expert Panel of the U.S. Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) has reviewed the use of parabens in personal care products and concluded they are safe at levels up to 1 percent. 

A 2004 research study detected parabens in 18 of 20 samples of tissue from breast tumor biopsies. This study did not prove parabens cause cancer, only that they were easily detected among cancerous cells. The study was widely criticized for not comparing paraben levels in normal tissue, but nevertheless, the results brought out the scaremongers.

Here's what might surprise you. Parabens are found in greater concentrations than cosmetics in a myriad of consumables, including fruits, vegetables and drinks. Some everyday items full of parabens and endocrine disruptors include soybeans, carrots, peanuts, corn, mangos, strawberries, blueberries, honey, black tea and green tea, to list just a few. Many of the parabens found naturally in foods do have an estrogenic effect when tested. Yet, parabens found in cosmetics are 100,000 times weaker than estradiol, the estrogen naturally produced by the body.

In the decade since the aforementioned study, no other study has proven a link between parabens and breast cancer.  And, I'm left to wonder how sick some of us might be if parabens were not used to prevent dangerous bacteria growth.  Or how much less healthy we'd be if we didn't eat some of the "superfoods" that contain parabens.

I'm not an expert on parabens.  I'm just a consumer who likes to do her research.  After all of the information I've reviewed, I feel comfortable using products and eating foods that include parabens. Below, you can read opinions from others you might find more credible ...

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has concluded, based on its research findings, that there is not good science to support a claim that the use of parabens in cosmetics can increase an individual’s risk of developing breast cancer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began studying the effects of parabens in response to the outcry of their potential estrogenic effect and link to breast cancer. The FDA states that parabens are safe for use in cosmetics, and it also says that, based on the weight of all the current scientific evidence, there is no reason for consumers to be concerned about the use of products containing parabens.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), an organization that reviews and assesses the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics in an open, unbiased and expert manner, consolidated more than 265 studies in The Journal of Toxicology that noted a women’s daily cosmetic regimen using products that contain parabens caused no adverse reproductive effects and confirmed the safety of parabens.

A study in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology claimed that, in order to obtain an estrogenic effect from parabens, which could be potentially harmful, the dosage would have to be 25,000 times higher than that used to preserve products. The same research claims that estrogenic effects caused by doses of parabens received from consumer products are insignificant compared to natural estrogens and other xenoestrogens, meaning that people are exposed to more estrogens from a myriad of other sources and in larger doses than from cosmetics.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.  If you choose to comment, please be polite and helpful.

Love The Skin You're In!

Jen

Source for much of this information: http://www.skininc.com/skinscience/ingredients/97476464.html?