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What Are Parabens
Parabens, chemically known as para-hydroxybenzoates, are synthetic chemicals used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Parabens are used primarily for their bactericidal and fungicidal properties. Parabens can be found in shampoos, moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solutions, makeup and toothpaste. Parabens are also used as food additives.
Industry estimates of the daily use of cosmetic products that may contain parabens were 17.76 g for adults and 378 mg for infants.
Parabens are the most widely used preservatives in cosmetic products. Typically, more than one paraben is used in a product, and they are often used in combination with other types of preservatives to provide preservation against a broad range of microorganisms. The use of mixtures of parabens allows the use of lower levels while increasing preservative activity.
Parabens are low-cost and widely available, compared to natural preservatives. Parabens are very effective preservatives that prevent mold, fungus, and bacteria from growing in the product for extended amounts of time. This greatly extends the shelf life of products, sometimes for 5-6 years. Cosmetic products today are often manufactured in very large batches to save time and reduce costs. They are often stored for months before they are shipped from the manufacturer through distributors, shipping warehouses and other places that add time (and often heat) before the product ever reaches you. This can add 6 to 8 months or more from the time the product was made till it gets to you. Then we often buy a LARGE Bottle because its cheaper and keep it in the bathroom for many more months. The preservatives in the product need to keep harmful bacteria, molds, fungus, etc. from growing inside of it. Simply put the longer the shelf life of a product the more protection it requires.
Parabens have numerous links to breast and prostate cancers because they mimic estrogen, a hormone known to play a role in the development of breast cancer. Estrogen can also dominate in male bodies causing infertility, obesity and increasing risk of cancers.
Common parabens include methylparaben (E number E218), ethylparaben (E214), propylparaben (E216) and butylparaben. Less common parabens include isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, benzylparaben. Most often, cosmetic products include several types of parabens.
Parabens are produced synthetically using potassium phenoxide and carbon dioxide.
Parabens are widely used in cosmetics since the 1950s, when some people were struck blind after using spoiled lotions. One of the first reports about parabens back in 1984 estimated that parabens were used in over 13,200 different cosmetic products.
Parabens can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, cleansing gels, personal lubricants, topical pharmaceuticals and toothpaste. They are also used as food additives in some products. Endocrine disruptors are transported into the body, daily, via absorption through the skin and hair follicles when using personal care products.
Science currently has direct evidence that cosmetics containing parabens result in a higher risk of cancer, and the American Cancer Society insists that parabens are perfectly safe from an oncologist's point of view.
The U.S. FDA has classified methyl and propylparaben as GRAS, which means they are Generally Regarded As Safe by medical and toxicological experts for use in preserving food. The FDA has also stated that Parabens are safe for use in cosmetics. But then again, FDA says aspartame and fluoride are also safe despite the mounting evidence of their toxicity and carcinogenic potential.
The cosmetic industry's panel, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), reviewed the safety of methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben in 1984 and concluded they were safe for use in cosmetic products at levels of up to 25 percent of the finished product. However, not a single study has yet focused on chronic, decades-long, direct exposure to parabens that act synergistically with other xenoestrogens and the body's own estrogens.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in their report "Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment: Agents of Subtle Change?" reported that the chemical preservatives called parabens-methyl, propyl, butyl and ethyl (alkyl-p-hydroxybenzoates)-displayed estrogenic activity in several tests.
While the jury is still out, the use of parabens, often disguised by tongue-twisting names such as benzoic acid, isobutyl p-hydroxybenzoate, or p-methoxycarbonylphenol,
has been strictly regulated in European-made cosmetics, and current European Union legislation allows their use only in extremely weak concentrations.
It is unlikely that parabens will be removed from cosmetics sold in the United States anytime soon. The chemical and cosmetic industry continues to lobby parabens despite all evidence against use of paraben preservatives.
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