If you’re wondering what parabens are, the chances are your query relates to skin care products. Many products seem to go out of their way to proclaim themselves ‘paraben-free’, strongly implying that parabens are harmful.
Well, are they?
To be honest, the jury is definitely still out on this one.
Here’s what the anti-paraben community believe:
Parabens are used as a preservatives in a wide variety of skin care and beauty product ranges. If you take a product off the shelf at your local department store, you’re unlikely to see the word ‘paraben’ in isolation. Instead, you will see one or more of the following: Methylparaben, isoproparaben, proplypylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben and/or sodium butylparaben. This list is by no means exhaustive, but, essentially, you’re looking for anything that ends in the word ‘paraben’.
It should be noted here that parabens are extremely effective preservatives, increasing the shelf life of your skin care and beauty products and, consequently, giving you greater value for money. A skin care product containing parabens is likely to last for many months.
So why are manufacturers so eager to declare their products ‘paraben-free’ and why, conversely, do you never see a skin care product proudly announcing the presence of parabens in its formulation?
Well, parabens have been found to mimic the effects of the hormone estrogen, which has been identified as a pivotal factor in the development of breast cancer. As well as the greater potential for breast cancer, an excess of estrogen in the body can also result in mood swings, weight gain and fluid retention. A recent study found parabens in breast tumor samples. However, as I said earlier, the jury is still out on this one and none of these scientific findings is considered conclusive.