The Paraben Debate

To begin with I'd like to start with my moral/natural/cautionary standards. Not everyone will agree, and info may be hard to find, but here's my conclusion in regards to chemical product safety.
I like to stick with products that are cruelty and paraben free as well as things that don't clog follicles and won't trigger allergies, so I may mention products that don't meet these goals, but generally stick to this for skincare and complexion products. I will try to flag "allergy risk" items, if I catch them.

The reason I believe we should avoid parabens when possible is that they add up too quickly when using multiple products to be considered harmless. Read on for the reasoning.

Why avoid parabens? Here's my case:

The official word:
The FDA has approved this class of preservatives as safe in tiny amounts within our food, face and body products. This is why they are there and companies claim they are safe.
Here's a snippet:
"Although the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) are advising a lower use level of butyl- and propyl-paraben than the maximum allowed in the Directive, the UK Cosmetics Trade Association (CTPA) says it nonetheless reflects the levels that are currently used. “The most important thing is that the levels they are suggesting for the substances approximately reflect current in use levels,” Emma Meredith from the CTPA told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com.

Although officially a manufacturer could put higher levels into a product (up to 0.4 per cent), 0.19 per cent concentration is likely to be sufficient for most uses, she explained.

Within the opinion, which is open for comments until 28 January 2011, the SCCS also confirmed its view that methyl- and ethyl-paraben are acceptable for use at the levels described 0.4 per cent and 0.8 cumulatively, as described in the Directive."

Sounds reasonable, but then other info pops up and concern lingers:

-Denmark has banned parabens in childrens products.
-A study in which paraben containing creams applied to men's backs, showed that the parabens were evident in the bloodstream minutes later, chemically unchanged by the body.
-Parabens have been found in 18 out of 20 breast cancer tumors and are now present in unborn fetuses and nearly every American's blood.

Why are we scared of it? Not only because our body can't process or break it down, but it has shown some evidence of  having an estrogen-like effect on the body. Men and women are affected by hormones. They affect our immune response and fetal development and all the systems that trickle down. This means they are a concern for everyone.

Why I specifically avoid them:
What no one accounts for is the fact that most women often use more than 20 products a day between their hair, skin, makeup, etc...  Don't believe me? Let's spell it out. Some women have more simplified regimens and some more complex, but here's a typical day for me:
Facial Cleanser, SPF Moisturizer, Powder Foundation, brow pencil, Blush/bronzer, 2 eyeshadows, mascara, eyeliner, lipstick, hand/body lotion, hair protectant and dry shampoo styling product.
That's 13 products for the morning and a basic day makeup look.

And then: Shampoo, Conditioner, body wash, facial cleanser, night cream, body/hand lotion, and prescription steroid cream for my chronic skin condition.
There's the other 7 at night.
That's 20 products a day and then take into account that other women often use a few more makeup, hair and body products than that.

Think it's just a women's issue? A man hopefully uses soap, deodorant, sunscreen, a hair product or just shampoo and a hand lotion. You see where I'm going...

What I'm getting at here is that the "safe" levels of paraben usage do not account for the likely 20+ fold amount used in a day by most women (and perhaps 5+ fold a day usage by men).
If we are typically using 20 times more than a "safe level" a day, it is no longer safe!

For this reason I occasionally use paraben containing products, but keep them to a minimum to avoid this toxin accumulation. I also have experienced a slight burning sensation when using some paraben containing products.

The paraben group includes methyl-paraben, butyl-paraben, propyl-paraben, and other prefixes. A naturally derived paraben can also be found in grapefruit seed extract, but I would assume it is better tolerated, since it is not a synthetic.
It is true that more research on this substance would help us asses it's risk, but understand that evidence comes from clinical studies which are incredibly consuming of time, money, and other resources, so new, industry-challenging viewpoints are often hard to research, since the opposition typically controls more wealth. I'll say no more there, just ask you to consider that a lack of study is not always due to a lack of evidence only a lack of funds or influence.

I hope this made sense and increased your awareness. Parabens are not the very worst thing we encounter chemically, but there are safer preservative alternatives available, without compromising shelf life or sanitation.
The choice is always yours as to whether paraben presence concerns you, but this is why my focus is as such.


Stay safe and beautiful!