Part 1: What’s the Deal with Parabens?

When I began my research on parabens, I was completely overwhelmed. There are innumerable websites making blanket statements regarding their safety and very few actually comparing both sides of the data to come to a well-rounded conclusion. Not content to simply accept the FDA’s assessment that parabens “have an excellent safety profile”, this article is my attempt to clear up the issue (at least until the next study is released). There was so much information I wanted to include in order to give you the fairest perspective that this article will be released in a series of parts with one or two topics being covered each week. I’ll cover scientific studies, their impact on our health, how they affect the environment and what our alternatives are. As we progress, I welcome everyone’s feedback. After all, the goal isn’t to be right, it’s to find the truth. The only thing I’m sure of: too much of anything is probably a bad thing…except maybe hugs.

The goal of this comprehensive collection of information is to give you the tools to make your own decision about whether or not you want to use products that contain parabens. That’s right, I’m not going to tell you ‘how it is’ on this one. There is an abundance of information out there and it’s not black and white.

Part I: It’s Your Call

In the interest of cutting straight to the quick, I’m going to start with my conclusion which is: it’s your call. If I were going to create my own line of cosmetics or any other personal care product, I would find a way to do it without the use of parabens.  There are also other preservatives (I’m talking about you phenoxyethanol) that are now being used to replace parabens, and I wouldn’t use those either. I do however currently use one or two products which I love dearly which do utilize a very small amount (less than .5%) of a paraben as part of their formulation, the rest of which is natural and chemical-free. Since the rest of my beauty products are generally free of chemicals, including preservatives, dyes and phthalates, and the products I use containing parabens are ones that are rinsed off right away- think, shaving cream as opposed to face cream- I feel comfortable using these products and do not feel that the negligible amount of parabens that I come into contact with as a result of their inclusion puts my health at undue risk. On the other hand, I always make an effort to avoid them whenever possible, and if I happen to come across a product that is completely amazing and a small amount of paraben is it’s only drawback, I always have a conversation with the company and ask why they have chosen to use them and in what percentage they are used before making a decision.

The debate over the safety of the use of parabens in personal care products has waged on for a while now (concern was first expressed in the mid 1990’s). It has also been frustrating for consumers who don’t want to have to worry about the safety of their products and just want the facts. Add to the mix an overwhelming amount of conflicting information with both sides swearing that they are right, and it becomes hard to know what to believe. Obviously, the chemical companies who produce these preservatives have something at stake, as do the companies who have been utilizing parabens in their formulations for over 20 years. But let us not forget, with “greenwashing” becoming more and more rampant, that there are cosmetic companies aiming for the “green” market who love to use “paraben-free” as a marketing ploy, even when the rest of their ingredients are questionable, at best.

So, what are parabens? Scientifically speaking, parabens are esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid. In non-chemistry speak, they are a type of (chemical) preservative, usually derived from petroleum, whose primary function is to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. They don’t keep a product from going rancid, they simply keep icky stuff from growing in it. They are used in everything from make-up and body lotion to processed foods to pharmaceutical products. There are a number of different types of parabens, with ethyl-, propyl-, methyl- and butyl- being the most common. Less common are isobutyl-, isopropyl-, and benzyl- parabens. The type of paraben is determined by the alkyl group (methyl, ethyl, etc). Although they are fundamentally the same, it is possible for different types of parabens to produce slightly different effects in the human body. Although the vast majority of parabens are produced by chemical companies, they are also found in nature. Blueberries, for example, contain a small amount of naturally occurring methylparaben, which acts as an antimicrobial agent.

Aside from their use as preservatives, parabens are also xenoestrogens, which means they produce an effect in the body that mimics that of estrogen. There are actually different classifications of estrogens, some of which occur in plants (phytoestrogens) and even fungi (mycoestrogens). Xenoestrogens are chemically different from the estrogen that occurs naturally in our bodies, and estrogens that pharmacologically have an intended estrogenic effect, like birth control, are a whole different category.

Next Week: The Reasons We’re Worried About Parabens. I’ll address how parabens effect the human body and what the scientific studies have to say about it.

Resources:

http://www.health-report.co.uk/parabens.htm

http://www.newscientist.com

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4555-cosmetic-chemicals-found-in-breast-tumours.html

http://www.ammas.com/ar/home.cfm?r=va&bid=1519&topicid=5&tid=93532

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_2_1X_How_many_people_get_breast_cancer_5.asp

http://thebeautybrains.com/2006/05/02/the-perils-of-parabens/

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4555-cosmetic-chemicals-found-in-breast-tumours.html

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=phthalates&rlz=1R2PCTC_enUS350&aq=0&oq=phth&aqi=g10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenoestrogen

http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408440490920104

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraben

http://www.terressentials.com/truthaboutparabens.htmlb

http://www.alive.com/6951a17a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=59

http://www.naturalnews.com/022207_parabens_personal_care_products_health.html

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/83/8346specialtychem3.html

After nearly three years managing a bath and beauty boutique, Shayna decided to go out on her own and open Butterfly Effect, a holistic, eco-conscious beauty boutique located in Sarasota, Florida. Our very own “Beauty Chick”, read Shayna’s other intriguing articles and product reviews here.