Over the years, much controversy has risen over the safety of parabens in beauty products. The truth is, scientific reports continue to prove that they are completely safe! Here are the facts:

What are parabens?

Parabens are preservatives that can be found in food, makeup, skin care and medicines. Their purpose is to prevent bacterial decontamination. Without them, products have a very short shelf life. Lack of parabens can also put you at risk of infections from bacterial growth.

In beauty products, parabens are used at very low levels and have an excellent safety record. You can identify them on product labels because they end in 'paraben'. Here are a few commonly used parabens:

  • Methylparaben
  • Propylparaben
  • Butylparaben
  • Isopropyparaben

Why was there concern over parabens?

A 2004 study (released by Dr. Darbre), claimed that parabens mimic estrogen that can lead to breast cancer. This single study created a large amount of controversy. It was released before it received a 'peer review' of other scientists. Once a peer review was conducted, several problems arose questioning the validity of the study:

  • There were only 20 people in the study
  • There was no control group (so the parabens could have been from medicine, food, etc.)
  • The study did not look at paraben levels in normal tissue

When Dr. Darbre was later questioned, he said "nowhere in the manuscript was any claim made that the presence of parabens has caused the breast cancer, indeed the measurement of a compound in a tissue cannot provide evidence of causality."

Since Darbre's initial study, no other reports have been able to prove a link to cancer. You can review the FDA's site for proof and any updated information.

How can I be sure parabens are safe?