Choosing Paraben Free Beauty Products

By Claudine Hodges


Health concerns and their associated trends seem to be popping up all the time. In part this is due to the media creating buzzes over different things every day. Some are over in a few days and others pop up every few months. One that is not going away is the concern over chemicals in cosmetics. Increasing numbers of consumers are seeking out paraben free beauty products because they have decided it is better to be safe than sorry, after all we put them on our bodies all day long.

People are trying to avoid parabens as they have become controversial. They are a type of preservative added to thousands of personal health and beauty items. From deodorant to toothpaste, sunscreen and make-up all of the contained parabens. That was until scientific research suggested they may be more harmful than was previously thought.

One of the worst potential problems is the link with breast cancer. It is too early to say whether there is a causal role for these preservatives in the development of cancer, more work needs to be done. However, traces of the chemicals have been found in tumors removed from breast cancer patients.

There are also concerns about effects on the endocrine system. This is a system of glands including the pancreas, thyroid, pituitary, ovaries and testes. It is vital for our good health and the hormones produced by this system affect everything from our sleep patterns to cell regeneration. Therefore any effects could have far reaching implications for health.

The endocrine system also includes the ovaries and testes and the production of estrogen. Scientists working on the problem of declining fertility in developed countries are looking at these chemicals to see whether there is any link to infertility. They are also interested to see if there are issues with these chemicals working in conjunction with others. Most chemical additives are tested in isolation but that is not how our bodies experience them. We are basically bombarded by them all the time in food, water, cosmetics, furnishings, cleaning products and so on.

It is possible to make cosmetics with a sufficient shelf life without adding parabens, but what are producers using instead? Some are just changing to other synthetic preservatives such as sodium benzoate or diazolidinyl urea. Unfortunately some of these also have long lists of potential side effects and some are virtually untested. Companies have done this in response to public concerns about parabens but it may just be swapping like for like.

Probably the safest way to know for sure that the products you buy are natural is to go for fresh ones with a short shelf life. They are increasingly available from small and large producers and although it is not as convenient at least you can be sure what you are putting on and therefore into your body. When we put a cream on our skin for example it only takes a few moments to be absorbed into the blood stream.

Paraben free products are increasingly popular and this is leading big companies to get in on the sales bonanza and produce cosmetics without them. However, in some cases they are just using other unhealthy chemicals in their place. Fresh products with a short shelf life are probably the safest and the easiest way to be sure that a product is totally free from harmful chemicals.




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