Hey! Well, I'm sorta worried about them also. I recently did a summer research project( Nothing big, just a high school summer thing) about cosmetic health and safety regulations with the FDA. Really, the FDA doesn't test cosmetic products unless they count the cosmetic products as drugs. So, as far as knowing whether parabens are harmful or healthful, there's some studies that say they're harmful and others who say they're fine. It seems like the base of the matter is people don't really know. Really, I think the case often is, products aren't really deeply looked at till long-term effects show up. But, honestly, I don't believe people really know for sure.
I, being the slight worrywart, choose to avoid them, especially in products that come in contact with my skin. I don't really believe the FDA's looking out for consumers regarding cosmetics products, so it's up to each person to make their own informed choices about what they chose to use and not use. I try to use mostly natural products (Aubreys, oils, gio) to avoid parabens, phatalates, and fragrance,as a precautionary action. However, I think sometimes, living in the chemical-laden world we do live, there are some products that will have parabens that you might not have an alternative for. Also, it's a choice what we choose to use, and whether we want to take pre-cautionary measures for something that could be a big deal or could be nothing.
If anything, you could try experimenting with more naturally-based products to see how they work, to cut back on your intake of parabens?
erplexed
