Parabens

Before I delve into the world of product reviews and recommendations, I want to share my thoughts and feelings on some controversial ingredients and materials used in today's manufacturing. One topic I am extremely passionate about is the avoidance of parabens in my family's health and beauty products.

There has been a lot of discussion about parabens in the media lately. What are they? Are they good or bad? Should I avoid them? Wikipedia gives a good definition of them: Parabens are a class of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. . . They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical/potential pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution and toothpaste. They are also used as food additives. They are considered a safe chemical by the FDA, however the FDA is currently studying their effects to determine whether or not any of the controversy surrounding them is founded.

So what is the controversy? Some studies have found parabens to have estrogenic activity (encourages estrogen production in the body). We know from studies regarding Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) that there is a correlation between tumor growth and over-production of estrogen. While the estrogenic activity in parabens is far less than that in HRT, some believe that it could still contribute to potential tumor growth. There was a study conducted in Japan in 2002 where newborn male mammals exposed to certain types of parabens (specifically butylparaben) adversely affected the secretion of testosterone and the function of the male reproductive system. Additionally, parabens have been found in cancerous breast tissue. It has yet to be determined whether or not the parabens found could have been the cause of the cancer, but we do know that increased estrogen levels have been associated with breast cancer.

Parabens do occur naturally. Many fruits and vegetables produce parabens as a natural protection against microbial spoilage. However it has been found that orally ingested parabens are not absorbed into body tissue, instead they are metabolized and excreted without harm. The parabens used in beauty products are all synthetically produced. While that does not necessarily make them inherently bad, there is research that shows parabens can and do enter body tissue through skin absorption.

The upside to the paraben controversy is the increasing number of paraben-free beauty products on the market. While many long-established products do not and never did contain parabens, there are new product lines that call attention to the fact that their products are paraben-free, making it easier to spot them. One of my favorite brands of paraben-free products is the Be Fine Food Skincare line. To date I have tried about half of their offered products and I continue to replace old items with their brand. I will highlight their awesome products in a future blog.

In summary, I have personally made the decision to avoid parabens. I am an avid label reader and have stopped buying some long-time favorite products because they contain parabens. I am also sure not to buy any products for my little ones that contain parabens. Unfortunately some mainstream baby care lines do use them, but it's quite easy to find alternatives. Again, a future topic of discussion.

Luckily, parabens are easy to spot on ingredient lists. While there are several different types of parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl or butyl.) they all contain the word "paraben" (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben). Should you choose to avoid products containing parabens, you will be able to easily spot them on ingredient lists as well.

I welcome your recommendations for paraben-free product lines and your feedback on my thoughts.

-NM