Parabens

General chemical structure of a Paraben
(a para-hydroxybenzoate)
where R = some organic group

Parabens are a group of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, cleansing gels, personal lubricants, and topical pharmaceuticals. They are also used as food additives. Parabens have been known to cause skin irritation, rash, contact dermatitis, or allergic skin reactions and have been found to act like the hormone estrogen in laboratory experiments.

Parabens are esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid. Common parabens include methylparaben, ethylparaben (E214), propylparaben (E126) and butylparaben. The general chemical structure of a paraben is shown at right, where R symbolizes an organic group such as methyl, ethyl, propyl or butyl.

One report now universally disregarded showed parabens in Breast cancer tissue. However no causal link has ever been proven and so far there is no scientific evidence to support any link with cancer . Parabens have been claimed to have been found in 20 samples of breast tumors, see [Parabens in breast tumors] from the Journal of Applied Toxicology Jan-Feb 2004, but it is unknown if this would be the same for healthy breast tissue. It is by no means certain that the parabens were present in the tumour tissue as similar concentrations were detected in the blank control samples. Further research is necessary to establish the presence of parabens in breast tumors and to establish a causal link between parabens in cosmetics and breast cancer as there is a wealth of test data going back decades showing that they are safe to use.

Tests on animals involving injection of parabens have shown weak oestrogenic activity, acting as xenoestrogens [link]. Oestrogen is known to drive the growth of tumors. However, there is no evidence that underarm cosmetics containing parabens pose a health risk, because of the low doses involved and the fact that parabens are unlikely to penetrate into the tissue and to accumulate there (enzymes in skin and subcutaneous fat cells are capable of breaking down parabens). Parabens can cause skin irritation and contact dermatitis in individuals with paraben allergies. Additionally, less than 1% of all underarm products actually contain parabens.

Parabens are extremely effective as preservatives in all types of formulas; for example, parabens can be used to preserve shampoo, lotions and personal lubricants, but a different preservative system would have to be used in each of those products in order to replace the parabens. This, combined with their low cost and the unproven efficacy of natural preservatives like Grapefruit seed extract, probably explains why parabens are so commonplace.Or it could be that they are the best preservatives with the longest proven safety record, on the other hand, one may choose to follow a better-safe-than-sorry approach in their choice of cosmetics..

External links

[Parabens in deodorants and antiperspirants linked to breast cancer] (NICNAS)
[Antiperspirants and breast cancer] (American Cancer Society)
[Antiperspirantsinfo.com] (This web site belongs to Unilever, a well known cosmetic company)
[JAMA Abstract on Paraben allergies]

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