Methyl paraben - a great debate

Wednesday 31st March 2010 1:39pm

parabens

There is considerable debate about the safety profile of parabens.

What are they?

Parabens are a group of chemicals widely used as preservatives in food, cosmetic and therapeutic products.

Why Do We Need Preservatives in Cosmetics?

Preservatives are substances that kill bacteria and fungi or at the very minimum, make it difficult for "living things" to survive. Bacteria, fungi, yeast and other potentially dangerous microorganisms typically avoid waterless compounds and also substances with a relatively high pH, but thrive in humid environments. For this reason, soaps and oil-based skin care applications do not generally need preservatives. However, creams, lotions and products where water is present need to be protected against bacterial growth in order that they can achieve acceptable shelf lives..

The Debate.

On one side we have the cosmetic industry which believes parabens, like most cosmetic ingredients, are safe based on their long term use and safety record.

On the other side we have various public interest organisations which raise awareness about the safety of cosmetic ingredients.

So what has caused that debate:

In 2004, a UK study established the presence of intact parabens in human breast tumours (Darbre et al. 2004). This study utilised a small sample (20 people) and no healthy breast tissue or other tissues from affected women were analysed. Furthermore the source(s) of the parabens found in the breast tumours and routes of exposure were not identified.
Subsequent studies have confirmed the ability of parabens to be absorbed systemically from topical application – paraben levels were shown to increase in blood and urine of healthy young men following topical application of parabens in cream cosmetic formulation (Janjua et al. 2007).
Data from other published sources indicate that parabens demonstrate weak oestrogenic activity in some experimental animals. Such activity is linked to increased risk of cancer albeit at a much higher level of exposure than typically found in cosmetics.

Reasonable conclusions might include:

That these research results alone are insufficient to establish that parabens do increase the risk of cancer.
Further research is required so that some conclusive evidence can be provided about the safety of parabens.

What does it all mean?

Much of this is difficult for the average consumer to understand. A healthy scepticism of the views of the cosmetic industry and the various regulatory bodies might be suggested. Conversely the evidence against is limited and the matter really comes down to one of personal choice.

As long as there is some level of suspicion that parabens could be implicated in poor health outcomes, Herb Valley is committed to moving towards paraben free products where there are viable alternatives. We have been working with our formulation experts to bring you products that are just as effective, whilst minimising the inclusion of ingredients that might be subject to some suspicion.