Is a common shampoo ingredient dangerous to your health?
Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in cosmetics, and can be found in shampoos, moisturizers, cleansing gels and toothpaste. Parabens are very effective preservatives, are cheap and have a long history of safe use, although they are becoming increasingly controversial. They come in many forms, including methy, ethyl and butyl.
Parabens have been found to have estrogenic activity and in a study published in 2004, parabens were found in tissue samples from human breast tumors, although the study did not show how the parabens entered the samples. Parabens are on the Green Guide's Dirty Dozen Ingredients in Cosmetics.
So, do you need to avoid parabens? As always, the choice is yours. To learn more, see Environmental Working Group's summaries on parabens (methyparaben's is here). And of course, run your products through EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database to make an informed decision on all of your products.One easy way to reduce your exposure to preservatives in general, is to avoid water-based soap products when possible. Commercial water-based products will always need a preservative to keep the bugs from growing. Bar soaps and even bar shampoos can be a safer bet.
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