By Dr. Teri Dourmashkin
By now most of us have heard about the alleged dangers of using a group of preservatives called parabens. There are 6 different types of parabens. Among them are methylparaben, butylparaben, proplparaben, etc. As with many synthetic preservatives, they are usually used in a range of .50-1.00% concentration which is considered low. Parabens have been used in skin care and cosmetics for years and are a very effective broad spectrum group of preservatives (they address both mold and bacteria).
Over the last few years the controversy about parabens began over a single 2004 study which was conducted in the UK by an oncologist in Edinborough. In this study, the researchers found parabens in the breast tissue of 18 out of 20 women who had breast cancer. Before you know it, this information spread all over the Internet and took on a life of its own. Even major commercial cosmetic and skin care companies began eliminating parabens from there products. I do not suspect it was because they necessarily felt they were dangerous, but because many consumers believed they were. And because business is business, the main focus was on the bottom line.
The study in question appears to have been extremely flawed. It did not bother to test healthy breast tissue as a comparison. There did not appear to be any “scientific” evidence that the parabens found in breast tissue had any direct link to breast cancer. Experimental designs must be tightly controlled; every caution must be taken to control for extraneous variables, or those things that can interfere with the results. Causation (A causes B) was absolutely not proven in this study. So, to say that parabens caused breast cancer based on the results of this study is not valid.
Let me say that we do not use parabens in the La Vie Celeste skin care line. We did not use them even before this huge controversy. One of the main preservatives we use is a non-toxic synthetic preservative called Cosmocil CQ. I have written about the need for an effective non-toxic preservative (s) in both my blog posts and other articles which I have written for distribution. Many “all natural” preservatives are simply not effective enough to pass a preservative “challenge test,” which basically puts a product through extreme circumstances to see how well it will hold up when exposed to high heat and also the introduction of mold and bacteria over a 28 day period or longer. All of our products passed the 28 day challenge test with no problem what so ever.
I believe that more rigorous scientific research needs to be done to prove that parabens are harmful. Many watchdog groups emphatically state that parabens cause cancer and are toxic, but do not necessarily have the scientific studies to back it up. Yes, parabens can cause skin irritations in some, but so can many other preservatives; it really depends on the sensitivity of the individual. It is not uncommon for people to have allergic reactions or sensitivities to some natural ingredients as well.
I choose to err on the side of caution when it comes to parabens. I believe more research needs to be done to either refute the negative conclusions which have been reached, or scientifically prove that they are potentially harmful. In the meantime, as I mentioned above, there are less controversial perservative options which are highly effective.
Also, please remember that the potential harm from toxic chemicals does not usually occur from the use of a single product; it is the cumulative long term exposure from a multitude of chemicals on a daily basis. When you add up all of the products we use on a daily basis and count the number of chemicals we are exposed to, it could easily add up to 200-300 a day.