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 Julie Lievre; is the Technical Support Manager-Americas for a global medical device company. She has an MBA from St. Joseph’s College and has been writing for several years. Her passions include cooking, writing, reading, and working out. Her goal is to become a full-time writer, and she is working on her first novel. She can be reached at radjl@optonline.net |
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So by now I am sure you have heard of Parabens, but do you know what they are? I had no idea what they were either but based on every product I saw in the hair and make-up product aisle, I did not want them in my products. There are tons of products that proclaim “Paraben Free” on their labels which made me wonder what they were, and why I wouldn’t want them in my products so I decided to do a little research to find out. Parabens are one of the most commonly used preservatives in cosmetic and haircare products. You may recognize some of them if you saw them on your labels, though you may not be able to pronounce them. Some of the most common parabens you will see are methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben, and often you will see a combination of these along with other preservatives as well. These parabens or combinations of them are used to keep your products free from microbes, otherwise known as germs. They help to keep the product safe to use so that bacteria doesn’t grow in these products. Parabens are found in all types of makeup, moisturizer, haircare products, and shaving products to name just a few but can also be found in food and drugs as well. The reason that you see many products proclaiming “Paraben Free” on their labels is that there have been studies that suggest that parabens may be cancer causing, and can act like estrogens in the body. This is significant because substances that act as estrogens in the body have been linked to breast, and other types of cancer. If you are interested in learning more about these studies and how they were conducted a great resource is the FDA website, http://www.fda.gov. So what is a girl to do? Well, there are many products that are available now that are paraben free, and will state that it is a paraben free product on the label but be sure to read your labels carefully to ensure that the product really is paraben free. Any ingredient ending in paraben on the label does contain this preservative. I really like brands such as Shea Moisture, Burt’s Bees, and Origins as these are paraben free brands that I feel confident using. Just keep in mind that products without a lot of preservatives should be used by the date indicated. |
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