Parabens: The Ugly Side of Beauty
By now, most of us have at least heard of parabens and know that we should not be using products containing them. But do you know what they are and why?
Parabens are widely used as a preservative to inhibit microbial growth in many products ranging from hand soap to toothpaste and also many foods. When a product is water-based it is necessary to use some sort of preservation method to guard against bacterial growth. The problem with parabens is that they appear to mimic estrogen in our bodies and have been linked to breast cancer, feritility problems and impaired fetal development. Parabens are an inexpensive and effective preservative, giving the manufacturers who use them more profit and products with a longer shelf life.
Our society is becoming increasingly aware of health concerns in products we use on our bodies, which is definitely a step in the right direction. The manufacturers of some of these products are taking advantage of this and marketing themselves as a safe, natural product, often times brand names that we trust, when they are actually anything but good for us.
Many cosmetics companies are jumping on the "Paraben-free" bandwagon simply as a marketing tool, otherwise known as greenwashing. The definition of greenwash by Wikipedia is "a term used to describe the perception of consumers that they are being misled by a company regarding the environmental practices of the company or the environmental benefits of a product or service". In other words, the product isn't as safe as they imply, if at all.
One of the leading offenders are makers of baby skincare products. As careful and concerned parents we go to the drugstore or grocery and choose the products we think will be gentlest and safest for our children. The product I faithfully used on my babies in the beginning of their lives contains not only parabens but a host of other toxic ingredients. Of course, it was one of the first to be thrown out of my bathroom closet.
Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to decipher a healthy label as compared to a not-so-healthy one. With all kinds of new natural cosmetics products cropping up at our favorite drug and department stores, this is becoming a bigger problem all the time. What we need to ask of a conventional product that has just gone paraben-free is; How is the product now being preserved? If it is with another synthetic preservative then there is obviously no benefit to the product.
Manufacturers of safe cosmetic products have researched natural means of preserving their products and many have their own branded preservation methods. Grapeseed extract and other powerful, organically grown essential oils are often used as preservatives in cosmetics. Other methods include; pristine manufacturing practices, using glass bottles with a pump dispenser and tubes which keep the product from coming into contact with the skin before use, creating products in small batches, and adding an expiration date to the label.
Identifying parabens on a product's label can be tricky as they go by many names. alkyl parahydroxybenzoate, butylparaben, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparabens. Look for these to be listed toward the end of the label, but with some manufacturers, not all ingredients are listed or the ingredient list is printed in a way meant to deliberately confuse the reader (i.e. all caps).
So, how do we protect ourselves from harmful ingredients in cosmetic products and skincare? It is best to follow a manufacturer who is dedicated to safety in cosmetics, and the list of these is growing. Another good resource is the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Database where you can search by product or ingredient and get an in-depth rating of harmful ingredients.