Choosing Paraben Free Beauty Products

By Claudine Hodges


Finding safe cosmetics is becoming easier all the time. This is because manufacturers are responding to increasing demand from consumers for paraben free beauty products. They can be used by anyone and many feel they are safer than using products which contain potentially harmful chemicals. Many have concerns that these artificial chemicals have not been properly tested and have only been tested in isolation whereas our bodies are exposed to mixtures of them.

They are found in many types of cosmetic and personal health items. Toothpaste, shampoo, moisturizers, sunscreens and make-up generally contain at least one type of paraben. Manufacturers add them to preserve cosmetics so that they do not go bad and cause harm to users. However, in recent years people have become concerned that there may be adverse health effects from using these artificial preservatives and have started to look for alternatives.

One of the worst potential problems is the link with breast cancer. It is too early to say whether there is a causal role for these preservatives in the development of cancer, more work needs to be done. However, traces of the chemicals have been found in tumors removed from breast cancer patients.

It is also thought that they may effect hormone production. The endocrine system may be affected by these chemicals. This is potentially very serious as all kinds of bodily functions are governed by the endocrine system. It is responsible for hormone production and includes the adrenal gland, pituitary, thyroid and pancreas.

The endocrine system also includes the ovaries and testes and the production of estrogen. Scientists working on the problem of declining fertility in developed countries are looking at these chemicals to see whether there is any link to infertility. They are also interested to see if there are issues with these chemicals working in conjunction with others. Most chemical additives are tested in isolation but that is not how our bodies experience them. We are basically bombarded by them all the time in food, water, cosmetics, furnishings, cleaning products and so on.

When choosing cosmetics which are labelled paraben free it is also necessary to think about what has been added instead. Some producers are just replacing them with other harmful chemicals with long lists of side effects. Some people have done research into these chemicals and so it is useful to check online to see what is being said. However, it can be a minefield and we are not all chemists.

To be totally sure that a product does not contain any sort of artificial, possibly harmful chemicals it is necessary to do some research and become familiar with all those scientific names on packaging. Also, using fresh products which do not have a long shelf life is a good indicator that they do not contain artificial preservatives.

Finding cosmetics without parabens is getting easier all the time. In response to consumer demand increasing numbers of large producers and ever more artisan producers are making whole ranges without adding them. They can be found online, where specialist websites list all kinds of products for everyone. Health stores are also stocking these cosmetics, sunscreens and toothpastes.




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