What are parabens? Do you know what's in your favorite makeup products?

Mar 5, 2011

Krystal C.

In my personal experience, products with parabens normally do not irritate my skin, but I feel like it's still better and possibly safer to use products that use natural alternatives. When I buy makeup, I don't particularly look for or care if the ingredients include parabens. But, if I am looking into skincare products I try to steer away from items that have parabens in them. Mainly because skincare products are used daily and if some day we find there actually is a connection between parabens and cancer, I feel better knowing I haven't exposed my skin to it on a daily basis.
Below are some facts I found online, mostly from Wikipedia, that I found interesting and helpful in understanding what parabens are and why they are used in our cosmetics.

Parabens are a class of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. These compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their bactericidal and fungicidal properties. They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical/parenteral pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution, makeup, and toothpaste. Their efficacy as preservatives, in combination with their low cost, the long history of their use, and the inefficacy of natural alternatives like grapefruit seed extract (GSE), probably explains why parabens are so commonplace. Studies on the acute, subchronic, and chronic effects in rodents indicate that parabens are practically non-toxic. In individuals with normal skin, parabens are, for the most part, non-irritating and non-sensitizing. Parabens can, however, cause skin irritation and contact dermatitis and rosacea in individuals with paraben allergies, a small percentage of the general population.
(courtesy of Wikipedia)
More info on my blog: http://beautybykrystalc.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-are-parabens.html

Mar 7, 2011

Shelly T.

http://personalcaretruth.com/tag/parabens/