When possible, I try to buy cosmetic and beauty products with natural ingredients. So I end up spending a considerable amount of time in the health and beauty care aisles of stores, reading product labels before making a purchase. One ingredient I try to avoid are parabens. Parabens supposedly interfere with your hormones and are associated with health risks such as breast cancer. But lately I've come to question the evidence for these claims. Are paraben-free beauty products really saferbeauty ?
What are parabens?
Parabens are chemicals found in food and cosmetic/beauty products that act as preservatives, giving them a longer shelf life. Variations of this preservative include methylparaben and propylparaben. While they are safe for ingestion, some people are concerned about the adverse effects of applying them topically beauty .
How parabens got a bad name
In 1998, a study published in the journal Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology found parabens have estrogen-like qualities and can mimic that hormone. Then in 2004, the Journal of Applied Toxicology published a report that found parabens were present in 20 samples beauty of human breast tumors. This, combined with the knowledge that some breast cancer tumors are estrogen-dependent, made people question the safety of parabens in our beauty products beauty .
Some truth about parabens beauty
The 2004 study has been criticized for its small sample size and not definitively proving the parabens were the cause of the breast tumors. In 2008, a follow-up study found the topical application of beauty products containing parabens beauty may increase the incidence of female breast cancer tissue. It is important to note there has not been one study or published report that has definitively proven parabens are the direct cause of breast cancer or any other health problems. Still, some organizations beauty , like the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, encourage people to buy paraben-free when possible.
Should I buy paraben-free beauty products? beauty
I'd have to say based on the evidence, avoiding all products beauty with parabens would be unnecessary. If you are still concerned about the potential for cancer or other health risks associated with paraben use, there is no harm in continuing what you have been doing. Women who have a history of estrogen-dependent cancers may want to continue using paraben-free beauty products just to stay on the safe side. Paraben-free cosmetics are becoming more popular and can be beauty found in chain stores like Target, Whole Foods, and your local drug store beauty