Why We Avoid Parabens

Parabens are chemicals widely used in the cosmetics and personal care industries as powerful preservatives. Preservatives are necessary in all products that have water in them because water is a breeding ground for bacteria and many types of fungus. Preservatives protect the product from these microbes keeping the product fresh and healthy.

Sounds good, right?

Wrong. The problem with parabens is their implications in cases of allergic reactions, estrogenic activity (acting the same way that the female hormone estrogen acts in the body), and even breast cancer.

While parabens have long been deemed as “practically non-toxic,” (Soni, M.G. Evaluation of the health effects of methyl paraben: a review of the published literature. Food and Chemical Toxicology (2002))recent findings are suggesting otherwise.

Skin irritatation, contact dermatitis, and Rosacea are just a few effects being reported as allergic reactions to parabens found in commercial health and beauty products.

Experiments have shown that parabens act as xenoestrogens (according to Wikipedia, xenoestrogens are novel, industrially made compounds that have estrogenic effects and differ chemically from naturally occurring estrogens produced by living organisms. Their potential ecological and human health impact is under study.).

At Emily’s Beauty In Balance we believe strongly in the vital importance of a natural balance in the body. Hormones play an immense role in this, maybe even more than any other factor. When the hormones are out of balance, the body is out of balance. When the body is out of balance, diseases and afflictions result.

Why add artificial hormones to your body?

How many of the products you use each day contain parabens?

With the estrogenic activity of parabens known, it is no surprise that they have been found to be linked to breast cancer.

Parabens were found directly inside of breast tumor tissue in a study by PD Darbre (Concentrations of parabens in human breast tumors. J Am. Coll. Toxicol 2004). There have been many other studies in which up to 18 out of 20 breast tumor samples contained parabens.

Do we know for sure?

No one does. For now, this is just speculation. But we make our products without parabens because we can’t ignore the data and wait for cold hard proof. Beauty In Balance is about making educated decisions about our health and bodies.