You’ve heard of them and you probably know to avoid them, but you probably don’t know why they’re such a bad thing.
So let’s talk dirty: Parabens.
Parabens are preservatives used in cosmetics that are unregulated by the FDA. Parabens “protect the consumer”(1) from harmful bacteria and mold, except for one minor detail - they actually do cause harm to the consumer!
The parabens used most commonly in cosmetics are methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben.
Let’s cut to. The main health threat of these bad boys: endocrine disruption and reproductive harm, endocrine disruption and cancer and skin irritation. (2)
According to Environmental Working Group (EWG), “Parabens can act like the hormone estrogen in the body and disrupt the normal function of hormone systems affecting male and female reproductive system functioning, reproductive development, fertility and birth outcomes. Parabens can also interfere with the production of hormones.”
How does this affect your skincare and cosmetics? Parabens are absorbed into the body through skin, so whatever you put on your skin will seep into your body and cause crazy drama.
Mo’ Distribution, Mo’ Problems
Parabens increase the shelf-life of cosmetics, which is great for big companies with big distribution and not so great for you, the one using them. We’re so fortunate for our incredible and loyal group of customers who snag up all of our freshly cured products nearly every weekend, which means, the goods you purchase in-store or buy online have been freshly produced. Consider it a Mix-to-Skin situation; directly from our mixologist to your skin.
EWG also shares that, “Propylparaben can alter the expression of genes, including those in breast cancer cells (Wróbel 2014), and accelerate the growth of breast cancer cells (Okubo 2001). A recent University of California-Berkeley study found that low doses of butylparaben, previously not considered harmful, worked in conjunction with other cell receptors to switch on cancer genes and increased the growth of breast cancer cells (Pan 2016).” WHOA, right? Scary to say the least.
The intent of a skincare routine is to enhance all that natural beauty you have and reverse the effects of sun exposure, age and all that good stuff. So rather than harm your body in the process, we simply remove the dirty preservatives and make our hair and skincare lines naturally. Did we mention they’re also very effective?
So of course we ask ourselves, if cosmetics don’t need to be made with parabens, why use them? Our simple answer: we don’t!
Sources:
- FDA: https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/parabens-cosmetics
- EWG: https://www.ewg.org/what-are-parabens#:~:text=Health%20Effects,-Endocrine%20disruption%20and&text=Parabens%20can%20act%20like%20the,with%20the%20production%20of%20hormones.