Parabens in cosmetics - it's dangerous or not

Recently, many famous scientists have expressed the opinion that parabens in cosmetics are harmful, but at the legislative level there is no ban on their use. Large cosmetic companies are trying to solve this problem on their own and gradually exclude the use of preservatives in their products.

So what is parabens in cosmetics, is it really dangerous or just a hot topic for discussion?

Parabens are chemicals that, due to their properties, prevent the premature appearance of fungi and bacteria. They are used not only in the cosmetic, but also in the food and medical industries. Some parabens are found even in nature, but parabens in cosmetics are synthetic products.

In many developed countries, the amount of parabens in cosmetics is strictly regulated. For example, parabens such as propylmethyl, butyl, ethylparabens and their various isoforms are allowed in an amount of not more than 0.4% and should be the only paraben in the product. If a mixture of parabens is used, its concentration should not exceed 0.8%. There is an opinion of some experts that usually about 0.2% of them in cosmetics is enough.

What is the danger of parabens?

In the past few years, more and more statements have emerged that they are endocrine disruptors. In this connection, in Europe a decision was made that propylparaben in cosmetics should be used less often, its allowable concentration should be halved, the same requirement applies to butylparaben.

Parabens have an estrogenic effect. Therefore, the use of products in which they are present should be limited to people who have contraindications to the use of estrogen. Especially prudent should be pregnant women, since excess estrogen can adversely affect the outcome of pregnancy.

Some scientists refute this assertion and prove that such an action is exerted only by substances that enter the human body together with food products, and the etheric parabens are harmless.

With the constant use of preebens, they accumulate in the body, which can contribute to the occurrence of breast, uterus, ovarian cancer in women and testicular cancer in men. But this is only the opinion of scientists, while a direct investigative link between the use of parabens in food, and in cosmetics, with the emergence of cancer is not established.

Parabens in cosmetics can slightly increase the negative influence of the sun. Means that contain methylparaben when applied to the skin can cause premature aging and even lead to DNA damage. This is due to the reaction of methyl paraben with ultraviolet rays. Also, applied agents that contain propyl-, methylparbenes, can cause various skin irritations and even contact dermatitis, as well as allergic reactions.

But do not immediately abandon the use of products that contain parabens. All the above data is only the opinion of specialists, but there is no scientific confirmation of them or, on the contrary, no refutation.

According to the official science, parabens are almost non-toxic and are quickly eliminated from the body. For healthy people they are harmless and only in very rare cases can cause paraben allergy. For such people, creams are produced without parabens.

Despite all this, parabens in cosmetics provide long-term storage, in which its properties and qualities are not violated.

They are present in almost all cosmetics, as well as in many foods and medical products. Since at present it is practically impossible to do without the use of preservatives, scientists are constantly looking for an alternative to parabens. But while it is not there, we are working on the development of a preservative on plant raw materials.