Some of you may have heard of parabens, for some of you this may be a brand new term. The reason I am mentioning the item is that if you buy mainstream beauty and cosmetic products you are almost guaranteed to find this as one of the ingredients. It is usually listed as methylparabens, ethylparabens, propylparabens, and butylparabens.
Parabens are a type of preservative found in cosmetic products and are used to extend the shelf life of products. They can be found in shampoos, moisturizers, shaving gels, spray tan solution, makeup, toothpaste, and most other beauty products.
I like to find products that are as chemical free as possible, but parabens I feel most strongly about as parabens have been found in low doses in breast cancer tumors and imitate artificial estrogen (which is linked to breast cancer.) I first became aware of this through the Wikipedia article on parabens. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraben. I then took a look at the referenced article called: Significance of the Detection of Esters of p-Hydroxxybenzoic Acid (Parabens) in Human Breast Tumours. Philip W. Harvey and David J. Everetthttp://www.maxgreenalchemy.com/images/ParabenEditorialDarbre.pdf
If you don’t want to read the article it basically explores how parabens were found in low levels in breast tumors and how possibly they got into the system through under arm deodorants and other beauty products. It also talks how parabens show characteristics of hormone activity, specifically oestrogen which is a major factor in the growth of breast cancer.
Parabens are usually found at the bottom of the ingredient list which usually means that there are low levels of the ingredient in the product, but take a look at nearly every body product you own: lotions, body washes, shampoos, face washes, moisturizers, foundations, concealers, blushes, deodorant. There may be small amounts in each product, but these are products that you use at least once, sometimes twice a day. It may not be something that would affect you immediately. My concern is just that this exposure over many years may cause problems in the long run. The above article was from 2004 and now being 2012, there does not seem to be much progress in this area and just feel people need to be aware of what they are being exposed to. I am just concerned about the lack of awareness of what is in the products we use everyday and feel people have a right to know what they are placing in and on their bodies.
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