Parabens have had an extensive history of use in a wide variety of consumer products, foods, and beverages for over 70 years. It’s true that these preservatives have played an important role in frontline defense for preventing disease and infection in humans by preventing fungal and bacterial contamination.
However, parabens are preservatives that have been identified as estrogenic and disruptive of normal hormone functions.1 Estrogenic substances are chemicals foreign to the body that mimic the function of the naturally occurring hormone, estrogen.2 Estrogen has been shown to control the growth of breast cells,3 and exposure to external estrogens has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer.4
There is substantial scientific evidence to suggest that increased exposure to substances that behave like estrogen in the body may elevate an individual’s risk of developing cancer.5 Parabens are among these substances.6
This information was obtained from a letter written by Breast Cancer Action® to Avon, petitioning them to remove parabens from their products.
Breast Cancer Action’s communications with Avon |
Competitive Skincare Companies Pursue What We Already Have
As awareness is rising about the possible dangers of parabens (see papers below), many skincare companies are issuing statements to ”calm” the public, such as this one by Arbonne® International.
Arbonne® Letter
The reality is that the Research and Development Departments of skincare companies are aggressively pursuing paraben-free solutions, but have yet to find the answer.
In November of 2006, the CEO of the company that developed Tensa™ Water asked the Vice President of Research and Development for one of the foremost botanical-based skincare companies in the world, to comment on the use of parabens in skincare products (in front of about 500 spa owners at the I-Spa Conference). As the CEO described the unique anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that Tensa™ Water offers skincare products, the VP stated that if that were true he “would have the Holy Grail...the thing we have all been seeking for a very long time.”
Read the brief, but extraordinary dialogue between the CEO and VP |
Growing Awareness of the Dangers
There is a growing number of scholarly papers being written on the possible connection between parabens and health challenges, such as breast cancer. We have provided just a few links to some of these papers, but we would encourage you to also do your own further investigation.
Significance of the detection of esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) in human breast tumours
Concentrations of parabens in human breast tumours
Oestrogenic activity of parabens in MCF7 human breast cancer cells.
Five Types of Parabens Detected Intact in Human Breast Tumors
Effects of butyl paraben on the male reproductive system in mice
Environmental oestrogens, cosmetics and breast cancer
Comparison of the global gene expression profiles produced by methylparaben, n-butylparaben and 17beta-oestradiol in MCF7 human breast cancer cells.
There are also advocacy groups that want to bring attention to this issue, such as…
Breast Cancer Fund
Organic Consumers Association
Townsend Letter |
1 Pedersen, K.L. et al., ?The preservatives ethyl-, propyl-and butylparaben are oestrogenic in an in vivo fish assay,? Pharmacology & Toxicology (Vol. 86(3), pp 110-13, March 2000); Routledge, E.J., et al., ?Some alkyl hydroxy benzoate preservatives (parabens) are estrogenic?, Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology (Vol. 153(1), pp. 12-19 (Nov. 1998) and Kang, K.S. et al, ?Decreased sperm number and motile activity on the F1 offspring maternally exposed to butyl p-hydroxybenzoic acid (butyl paraben)?, Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (Vol. 64(3), pp. 227-35 (March 2002).
2 National Research Council, ?Hormonally Active Agents in the Environment? (Washington DC, National Academy Press (1999) (?NRC Report?).
3 US Department of Health and Human Services, National Toxicology Program, ?10th Report on Carcinogens?, pp. 116-19 (2002).
4 NRC Report, cited above.
5 NRC Report, cited above.
6 See Pedersen at 110-13, Routledge at 12-19, and Kang at 227-35. |