The Problem with Parabens

5 Paraben Free Products

It’s early morning. You’ve showered, brushed your teeth and moisturized. You’ve also most likely just started your day by exposing yourself to parabens at least three times without a second thought, and you haven’t even begun your makeup routine yet.

Parabens are preservatives and the most common additive in personal care products, from baby lotion and toothpaste to eyeshadow and shampoo. The sheer volume of products listing parabens among their ingredients has led to studies calling their safety into question and a swell of paraben-free alternatives hitting the market in the past few years.

The ubiquitous preservative isn’t in cosmetics by accident.

“The main goal [for parabens] is to act as an anti-microbial, keeping nasty things like E. coli from growing on the product,” says Michael Patton, director of government and media relations for the Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association.

Preventing fungus, bacteria and general yuckiness from contaminating products is particularly important for items stored in the warm, humid, Petri dish-like environment of our bathrooms. Parabens also extend a product’s shelf life,
allowing it to survive overseas shipping and to remain on store shelves and on your bathroom counter longer.

Parabens occur naturally in foods such as blueberries, cucumbers, olives and carrots. Cosmetic applications, however, use a synthetic form of paraben derived from para-hydroxybenzoic acid.

“Synthetic compounds keep a level of consistency,” says Patton. “Naturally occurring compounds will vary from blueberry to blueberry, whereas a synthetic ingredient made in the lab will always be the same.

“If you buy a lipstick or an eyeshadow that you like, you want it to behave the same every time. It’s making sure that level of consistency is there, because that is what people expect as consumers.”

The most common cosmetic forms of parabens are accompanied by the prefixes methyl-, ethyl-, propyl- and butyl-, depending on how they are made. Manufactured parabens have been around since the 1930s when the modern cosmetics and toiletry industry began. That industry now accounts for $5.4 billion in retail sales annually in Canada.

So, after decades of little or no concern, why the push to go paraben-free now? Growing consumer interest in eliminating chemicals in favour of more natural products is playing a role. Natural and organic products are the fastest-growing sector of the cosmetics and toiletries industry. The $7-billion international market for these alternative products is growing at a rate of 20 percent annually, and it is expected to
claim a 15-percent share of the overall cosmetics industry in coming years.

Some products, such as mineral-based lines of makeup, including Bare Escentuals and Jane Iredale, have the benefit of already being preservative-free and are cashing in on consumer demand for paraben-free options.

Other companies, such as La Roche-Posay, Sally Hansen and Smashbox, are moving toward eliminating additives such as parabens in several products.

Adding to the push for cosmetic companies to be accountable for all ingredients, Canada has introduced new labelling legislation. Since November 2006, all ingredients have been listed on cosmetics and toiletries.

After a scan of the packaging, savvy consumers quickly recognize the prolific presence of parabens in their medicine cabinets. The volume of our exposure to parabens
has also led to a series of international studies
examining the safety of the chemical. The most contentious among them was the 2004 study by U.K. microbiologist Dr. Philippa Darbre published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology.

Darbre tested breast cancer tissue from 20 patients and found traces of parabens in 18 of the samples. Darbre’s research did not prove causality and she did not test for parabens in the tissue of those without breast cancer.

However, her results came on the heels of another study conducted in the U.K. identifying parabens as estrogenic, meaning they mimic estrogen in the body. Since estrogen has been linked to cancer by other research, this raised concern.

However, that study also concluded the estrogenic effects of paraben were 10,000 to 100,000 times weaker than the hormone’s natural occurrence. The low concentration makes parabens an unlikely cause of cancer.

Despite this previous research and Darbre’s failure to directly link parabens to breast cancer, the implied correlation created a media maelstrom. Concerned consumer groups also referenced the study to warn of the potential for deodorant and antiperspirant to cause breast cancer. A glitch in this particular cancer connection is that most major deodorant and antiperspirants don’t contain parabens and use alcohol as an anti-microbial instead.

The scientific community largely dismissed Darbre’s study and the Canadian Cancer Society has posted a statement on its website downplaying any concerns raised. “The research did not show a direct cause-and-effect relationship between antiperspirants and deodorants and breast cancer,” the site states. “The findings are interesting, but the study is small. More research is needed to provide definitive answers about the issue.”

In the five years since Darbre’s study, no other research has linked parabens to cancer.

Ironically, at least for those using anti-aging cosmetics containing the chemical, studies have also shown parabens contribute to advanced skin aging. For example, researchers at the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine applied
methylparaben on the faces of test subjects and exposed them to ultraviolet light at levels consistent with an average summer day. The paraben-treated cells died at a rate three times higher than those not treated with parabens.

As with most chemicals, the effects depend on how much of a particular ingredient is used in a product. “The levels have to be very carefully monitored,” says Patton. “The idea is to kill the micro-organisms, but not make you sick. Preservatives do have properties that, in higher doses, would not be good for people.” Patton cites formaldehyde and chlorine as two other common preservatives that are carefully monitored.

In terms of safe doses of parabens, in 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration upheld an earlier safety assessment concluding methyl-, propyl- and butyl- parabens were safe up to levels of 25 percent. Typically, parabens are used in levels of between 0.01 percent and 0.3 percent.  

However, studying the levels of parabens in a single product based on one-time application is of little use when the average consumer applies multiple paraben-laced products several times a day.

A 2007 French study addressed the effects of repeated applications of the preservative throughout the day. It compared how much of the chemical penetrated the skin after a single application of lotion with penetra-
tion after multiple applications during a 12-, 24- and 36-hour period. The results showed repeated applications led to increasing levels of parabens in the dermis and epidermis.

The study did not consider what the implications of the increased presence of parabens might be, but, as with other research, suggested further studies were required.

Health Canada monitors all of this research — the safety and regulation of cosmetic ingredients fall under its jurisdiction. If an ingredient is deemed a health risk, Health Canada places it on the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist of chemicals that are either banned from use in personal products (like chlorine) or restricted (like alpha-hydroxy acids).

Parabens are not among the ingredients on the Hotlist and, so far, parabens have been deemed safe in every country that regulates cosmetics.

Despite approval from regulators, Patton acknowledges consumer concern over parabens continues to influence cosmetic companies. “It’s an ongoing issue in the industry because it is easy to make a headline without people understanding the science,” he says.

Whether the concern over parabens is paranoia, a marketing ploy or a valid precautionary measure is still to be determined. In any case, consumers aren’t going to stop using toothpaste, shampoo, lotion or cosmetics. But with inconclusive scientific studies calling for further studies, interest in paraben-free alternatives is likely to grow.