The Great Paraben Debate

What are Parabens?
Parabens are the most widely used low cost preservatives in cosmetic products, and are found in most shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, face creams, and body lotions. The most common parabens used in cosmetic products are Methylparaben, Propylparaben, and Butylparaben. Typically, more than one paraben is used in a product, and they are often used in combination with other types of preservatives to protect against bacterial growth and microbes.

The Paraben Controversy
From 1988 on, reports started appearing stating that parabens mimicked estrogen (the female hormone) in mammals, causing concern over the safety of Parabens in cosmetic products and it’s link to cancer and birth defects. Since then, recent studies have found that high levels of estrogen in the human body may lead to increased risk for undescended testicles, testicular cancer, sperm abnormalities and prostate disorders in young boys, as well as increased risk for breast cancer in women.

In 2005, Dr. Phillipa Darbre’s, study on parabens found in cancerous breast tissue became a turning point for the causal relationship between breast cancer and parabens found in cosmetics. Her study reported that parabens were found in 18 of 20 samples of breast tumors, and indicated that they originated from something applied to the skin, the most likely candidates being deodorants, antiperspirants, creams, or body sprays. Darbre also pointed out that up to 60% of all breast tumors are found in the upper quadrant nearest to the underarm, an observation that furthered her hypothesis about parabens in deodorants, since one would normally expect tumors to occur evenly, (with 20% arising in each of the five areas of the breast). Darbre also suggested that the tendency of breast cancer to develop in the left breast over the right breast might be due to the fact that most people are right handed, which would result in more chemicals applied to the left underarm area.

Darbre’s study led to intense debate in the scientific community over whether breast cancer may be caused by parabens in cosmetics and deodorants since her study did not analyze the presence of parabens in healthy breast tissue. Critics also pointed out that the skin is naturally equipped to break down parabens with the skin enzyme paraben esterase III of keratinoxytes, and that estradiol from birth control or other non-cosmetic applications have significantly higher levels of estrogen that may be more related to breast cancer. The American cancer society has also concluded there is no good scientific evidence to support a claim that use of cosmetics such as antiperspirants increase an individuals risk of developing breast cancer, however, this does not consider ‘individual chemicals’ in deodorants, such as parabens. It is important however to recognize that the presence of intact parabens in tumor tissue shows that these chemicals can be absorbed through the skin and accumulate in breast cancer tissue in their original form, without being degraded as what occurs when parabens are ingested.

Paraben Regulation
Unfortunately, with the exception of color additives that are not coal tar hair dyes, the FDA does not regulate ingredients in cosmetics in the United States. Quoted directly from the FDA website, under the “Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) … cosmetic manufacturers may use any ingredient they choose, except for a few ingredients that are prohibited by law.” The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (an industry sponsored affiliate) however, has maintained its recommended limit of 25% paraben content per product since 1984. This is substantially higher than the EU limit on parabens of 0.4% for each individual paraben concentration, and 0.8% for the total mixture concentration. Although the European Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) stated in 2006 that “the available data on parabens do not enable a decisive response to the question of whether they are safely used in cosmetic products”, its recent regulation revision shows that it recognizes the serious possibility of a causal relationship between parabens and cancer or other birth defects.

Kaia House recognizes that there is still debate within the scientific community as to the effects of parabens, and also recognizes the importance of effective preservatives in products to protect consumers from bacteria and infections. Due to this, we require manufacturers to disclose to us the exact percentage of parabens used in their products. Considering the EU standard for paraben content of 0.4% per individual paraben and 0.8% for a total mixture, we have set our own standard limit of 0.4% for total paraben concentration per product to ensure the least possible exposure of the chemical. We also strive to find quality products that use extremely gentle and effective natural preservatives such as grapefruit seed extract, phenoxyethanol, potassium sorbate, sorbic acid, tocopherol (vitamin e), vitamin a (retinyl), and vitamin c (ascorbic acid).

For References please see http://www.kaiahouse.com/parabens