FRIGHTFUL 15: #7 PARABENS

What Is It and Why in Skincare and Personal Care Products?

Parabens are the most widely used preservative in cosmetics. They are also used as fragrance ingredients, but consumers won’t find that listed on the label.  Fragrance recipes are considered trade secrets, so manufacturers are not required to disclose fragrance chemicals in the list of ingredients.  75% to 90% of cosmetics contain parabens (typically at very low levels).

So What’s So Bad?

Parabens easily penetrate the skin. The European Commission on Endocrine Disruption has listed parabens as Category 1, which means evidence of endocrine disrupting activity in at least one species using intact animals has been seen.   Causes for concern in humans include:

·         synthetic preparation derived from petrochemicals is used in cosmetics

·         interference with hormone function

·         mimicking of estrogen, the primary female sex hormone

·         interfering with male reproductive functions

·         methylparaben applied on the skin reacts with UVB leading to increased skin aging and DNA damage

VERDAUD does not contain and parabens.