Parabens

[MeechUK]

Can anyone tell me what these are?

MeechUK

 

[esoterica]

This group of chemicals are used as preservatives in cosmetics, and are antibacterial agents in some antibacterial toothpastes. Four main parabens are in use: methyl, ethyl, propyl and butylparabens; many products will have 2 or more of these chemicals as part of a preservative system.
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Parabens are preservatives that have been identified as estrogenic and disruptive of normal hormone functions.1 Estrogenic substances are chemicals foreign to the body that mimic the function of the naturally occurring hormone, estrogen.2 Estrogen has been shown to control the growth of breast cells,3 and exposure to external estrogens has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer.
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Use And Effects Of Parabens
As many as a dozen recent studies on the use of parabens as preservatives in many personal care products indicate that these ingredients are toxic and dangerous. Parabens are widely used as preservatives in topical personal care products. They appear as ingredients on labels of such products as methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, isobutyl- and benzyl- (paraben). Parabens have been widely used because of their effectiveness and low-cost.
All topical products are preserved in some manner so that the products do not "spoil" or become "rancid" and unusable. Most manufacturers use parabens to preserve the shelf life of products.

At one point, parabens were thought to be excreted from the body, however, recent studies show that this is not the case. It is now known that parabens in personal care products (unlike food) absorb into the bloodstream, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract where they might be broken down. In other words, topical personal care products likely deliver one of the most potent dosages of parabens that could store in certain tissues of the body, causing toxic conditions and frightening health risks.

Parabens have been found to be present in cancerous breast tumor tissue of women patients undergoing surgery. In men, studies detected that exposure to parabens is related to decreased serum testosterone and sperm count. Researchers concluded that the safety in using these chemicals should be reassessed, although companies producing personal care products are not yet required to remove parabens as an ingredient.

 

[esoterica]

Products without parabens :

http://www.bewellstaywell.com/

http://www.allnaturalcosmetics.com/

ETA
http://www.saffronrouge.com/

 

[MeechUK]

Hi Asphyxxia,
thanks for the information you have more or less answered all my questions. I recently used Dax Vegetable Oil poo and did not like how it made my hair feel. After reading your reply I checked the ingredients and of the 15, 9-12 comprised of the names you cited. Also I have had a dull ache under my left arm since using which I believe was caused by these ingredients. The Dax is now in the bin and I'm going to see my doctor asap.

Thanks for the information it really has helped.

MeechUK

 

[kitchen_tician]

Products without parabens :

http://www.bewellstaywell.com/

http://www.allnaturalcosmetics.com/

Thanks for posting this.

 

[esoterica]

bump... here you go shatani

 

[Cichelle]

bumping for karmelsassy

 

[esoterica]

****bump****

 

[Country gal]

Thanks for the links.

 

[mswoman]

Thanks! I was looking for the link