Propyl paraben is a chemical found in
a variety of consumer products (such as pharmaceuticals, food or cosmetics). It
is used as a preservative to prevent bacteria, fungus and yeast from forming.
It has a low toxicity, protects against a wide range of bacteria, and is cheap
for companies to produce. Over 80% of cosmetic products use one type of paraben
(such as methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben or butyl paraben) or a
mixture of parabens.
Controversy with parabens:
A study done in 1998 by Routledge et
al., discovered that parabens could mimic estrogen in the body. An increase of
estrogens in your body could mean a higher risk to develop breast cancer, since
estrogen can cause breast cells to grow and divide (giving more of a chance to
develop cancer cells).
Later, a study done by Phillipa Darbre
(2004) ignited the controversy of whether or not parabens are safe to use. In
the study, parabens were extracted from 20 samples of breast cancer tissue
using a special technique called thin-layer chromatography. Of the breast
cancer samples, 18 out of 20 were found to contain parabens. A couple problems
with her study were that there was too small of a sample size and that it is hard
to prove that parabens were the actual cause of the cancer. This study could
only prove that parabens can remain in the skin for long periods of time and
can accumulate in body tissues.
Because parabens have evidence that
they can mimic estrogen, and were found in breast cancer tissue, has lead many
consumers to believe that they have a role in developing breast cancer.
Alternatives:
Many consumers today want
“paraben-free” cosmetics, which are forcing companies to find alternative
preservatives. However, these preservatives are usually more expensive to produce,
and may not have the same preservative effects as parabens. The most common
alternative used today in “paraben-free” cosmetics is grapefruit seed extract.
Grapefruit seed extract has antioxidant properties, and could possibly help
prevent the development of colon cancer. However, this extract has evidence of
negative interactions with certain drugs and there is also some concern that
the microbial effects for this extract as a preservative is due to the chemical
additives during the extraction process and not the grapefruit extract itself.
Parabens are considered safe products
to use:
According to the FDA, parabens are not
considered a significant health risk. There is no definite link between the
estrogenic activity
of parabens and the formation of breast cancer. Right now, there are not many
cheap and effective alternatives to parabens, and more research will be needed
in the future to further clarify the safety of parabens.
References
(1) Ada Polla (2006). Parabens:
Politically Incorrect, Scientifically Sound. In Aesthetic Trends and
Technologies. Retrieved February 18th, 2012 from http://www.alchimie-forever.com/img/wysiwyg/pdf/publications-Ada-Polla/04-Parabens.pdf
(2) Darbre et al. (2004).
Concentrations of Parabens in Human Breast Tumors. In Journal of Applied Toxicology
(Vol. 24, pg. 5-13). DOI: 10.1002/jat.958
(3) U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
(2007). Parabens. Retrieved February 16th, 2012 from
http://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/productandingredientsafety/selectedcosmeticingredients/ucm128042.htm
(4) Environmental Working Group.
(2012). Propylparaben. In EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.
Retrieved February 16th, 2012 from
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=705335
(5) “Exposure to chemicals in
cosmetics”. (2012). Retrieved March 29th, 2012 from
http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/cosmetics.jsp
(6) David Suzuki Foundation. (n.d.).
“Parabens”. Retrieved March 29th, 2012 from
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/chemicals-in-your-cosmetics---parabens/
(7) Maier, K. (2010). “Grapefruit seed
extract dangers”. In Livestrong.com. Retrieved March 28th,
2012 from
http://www.livestrong.com/article/141607-grapefruit-seed-extract-dangers/http://www.livestrong.com/article/256783-list-of-skin-care-products-that-contain-parabens/l
(8) O’Neil, M. J. (Ed.) (2006). Propyl
paraben (#7866). In The Merck Index:
An encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs, and biologicals (14th ed., pg.
1351). Whitehouse Stations, NJ: Merck.
(9) Deardorff, J. (2007). Health Beat:
Reading the labels. In The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Retrieved March
9th, 2012 from http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=92
(10) Environmental Working Group.
(2012). “Citrus Grandis”. In EWG’s
Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=701433
(11) Snedecker, S. et al. (2010).
Breast Cancer- The Estrogen Cosmetics and more. In Sprecher Institute for
Comparative Cancer Research, Cornell University. Retrieved March 9th,
2012 from http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/research/endocrine/videos/makeup.cfm#parabens
Images:
(12) morgueFile (Creator). (2005,
January 26th). Mascara [Online Image]. Retrieved from
http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/50844
(13) West, L. (Creator). (2007). “grapefruit” [Online Image]. In Flickr
Creative Commons. Retrieved March 28th, 2012 from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope/2079023560/
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