FACIAL CARE TIP
PARABENS
PARABENS ARE THEY
SAFE?
Contrary to the hype at the moment, due to only one
documented study on a very small sample group, the mainstream
cosmetic industry believes that parabens, like most cosmetic
ingredients, are safe when used in low dose based on their long
term use and long safety record and recent scientific studies. It
is estimated that more than 90% of all cosmetic products contain
some form of paraben. Be aware that preservatives are used
and necessary in every cosmetics to keep it safe for you to use,
as they are essential to controlling microbial and bacterial
growth during the shelf life and use of the product, it's the
amount of preservatives included in the product that can be a
concern.
Parabens are recognized as safe by the World Health
Organization, as well as government agencies throughout the
world.
Most cosmetics from reputable professional skin care lines
companies if used as part of the ingredients only contain very
little paraben from 0.01-0.3% levels, which is an extremely minute
amount of paraben use to preserve a product and in no way
should scare you from using your favorite products simply
because parabens are listed among the ingredients but do be
cautious when selecting over the counter products as there are
many commercially made cosmetics that have such a high
percentage of higher then 5%, which explains the commonly
belief that the parabens are harmful or are sensitizers to the
skin in this case and cause an irritating reaction to the skin
which can be seen as skin rash, hives, red spots and so on.....
why again here I highly recommend the use of reputable
products sold by reputable manufacturers.....
Research indicates that low levels of Parabens are rapidly
absorbed, metabolized, and excreted.
Remember that all Parabens are not the same....
Many Parabens are from a natural source.... for example -
methylparaben from the fruit of the blueberry shrub, where it
acts as an antimicrobial agent and so many others are from
natural sources....... So just because you see the word Paraben
you should not panic as many of them are derived from a natural
source such as plants like cranberries, grapefruit, blueberies
and so on and/or used at a verly low percentage with a very low
ph scale....
Parabens are a Broad-spectrum preservatives derived from
plant or petroleum/synthetic sources. Effective against bacteria,
fungus, yeast, and mold. Parabens are some of the safest
preservatives, when used correctly and highly effective over a
wide pH scale.
There is no scientific evidence that any cosmetics containing
low content of parabens pose a health risk, because of the low
doses involved and the fact that parabens are unlikely to
penetrate into the tissue, remain intact, and to accumulate there.
If you are concerned I would concentrate more on what you are
breathing in from the environment (gazes, pollution, pesticides
and so on.....) and what your are ingesting/putting *(look at list
below) into your body daily which many contain higher levels of
paraben and other chemicals then your cosmetics.
After many many hours of researching and information received
from professionals in the field including chemist, I do feel
confident and reassured in their safety in cosmetics products,
as long as they are used at a level of .01 to .03 and until it has
been proven scientifically I have learned to look deeper into an
issue than to be frightened by scare tactics as I know tomorrow
there will be something else causing hype and concerns.
Even the American Cancer Society states that there is no good
scientific evidence to support the claim on parabens. A study in
2004 showed that paraben levels up to 25% in cosmetic products
were safe; most reputable manufacturers of cosmetics products
only contain paraben levels of 0.01-0.3% according to the FDA. In
conclusion Studies show that on the acute, subchronic, and
chronic effects in rodents indicate that low levels of parabens
are non-toxic.
What are Parabens: They are esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid,
from which the name is derived. Common parabens include
methylparaben (usually from plant source such as blueberries) ,
ethylparaben , propylparaben and butylparaben. Less common
parabens include isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben,
benzylparaben and their sodium salts. They are widely used as
preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
Parabens are effective preservatives in many types of formulas.
These compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their
bacteriocidal and fungicidal properties.
*They can be found in almost everything we use daily, such as
shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, cleansing
gels, perfumes, personal lubricants, topical pharmaceuticals
preperations, medications, oils, fats, shoe polishes, textiles,
glues, toothpaste, bandages, eye, ear an nose drops, local
anesthetic, sunscreens, soaps, salad dressing, marinanted fish,
mayonnaise, mustard, spiced sauces, processed vegetables,
frozen dairy products, jams and jellies, fruit juices, soft drinks,
baked goods and candies, food additives and a variety of
foods.... and so many other products.... Parabens are the most
commonly used preservatives in topical pharmaceutical
preparations.
Their efficacy as preservatives, in combination with their low
cost, their long history of safe use and the unproven efficacy of
natural ingredients like grapefruit seed extract, probably
explains why parabens are so commonplace.
Because of their low toxicity at low levels, parabens have been
used in food for more than 50 years.
The Expert Panel of the CIR has concluded that "methylparaben,
ethylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben are safe as
cosmetic ingredients in the present practices of use".