Mar
The term “paraben-free’ has been used to promote natural cosmetics like ours for
over a decade now. But what are parabens? What could happen if we’re
overexposed to them? Should you be worried? And importantly, how can you tell if
your cosmetics contain parabens? We’ll give you a rundown in today’s post.
What are Parabens?
Parabens are synthetic compounds added to cosmetic products to increase shelf life. They work as
preservatives by preventing the growth of bacteria and fungi.
Parabens are cheap to mass market, which is why since they were first used commercially in the 1950s,
they have made their way into makeup, fragrances, deodorants, shampoos & conditioners, toothpastes,
moisturizers, you name it!
So, now you know you’ve most likely been slathering products with cheap synthetic preservatives over
your body for most of your life, there’s an obvious next question…
What are the health implications?
Public health advocates are concerned about the possible link between parabens and skin and breast
cancer, fertility issues, and skin irritation.
Parabens are believed to mimic estrogen in the body which can accelerate cell division in breast tissue. A
2004 study found that parabens are absorbed through the skin and were present in breast tissue of 19/20
women studied. There haven’t been any conclusive studies to show a link between paraben use and
breast cancer, but it did find that higher levels of one type of paraben were found in the part of the breast
where the highest proportion of breast tumors are found.
So, how worried should you be?
How serious is it?
You shouldn’t be too worried about the parabens you’ve used so far. The amount of parabens is very
small and controlled by the FDA, which has ruled that in small amounts, parabens can be safely used.
What is still concerning to health campaigners is the cumulative use of parabens. If every product you
use every day contains parabens, what are the implications?
Considering there are natural and effective alternatives to parabens, and plenty of companies, such as
ours, avoid using parabens, you can easily make adjustments to avoid the potential risks of using
parabens.
Environmental implications
It’s not just humans that are affected by the overuse of parabens. For the first time, parabens have been
found in the bodies of marine mammals of the coast of the United States. Will somebody think of the poor
dolphins?!
When we use our paraben-loaded shampoo and conditioner, it all runs into and pollutes our oceans.
How can I tell if a product has parabens?
Unfortunately, there aren’t any big CONTAINS PARABEN labels on the back of cosmetics containers.
You’ll have to squint and scan the minuscule list of ingredients to get your answer. There are several
types of parabens that are widely used in cosmetics and they have unhelpfully long names, but helpfully
they all contain the word “paraben”:
● methylparaben,
● ethylparaben,
● propylparaben,
● butylparaben
● Isobutylparaben
If you see any of these words in your ingredients list, the product contains parabens.
Another way to avoid parabens is to search for companies and products that explicitly state that they are
paraben-free. You can be sure in the knowledge that none of our Preeminence fragrances contain parabens. Take a look at our paraben-free men’s and women’s fragrances or create your own custom
fragrance.
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