Ever thought about what’s in that favorite lotion or mascara of yours? It might be worth taking a glance. We tend to assume that our products are safe but the reality is that the FDA pretty much has no say in the matter. The FDA states clearly that cosmetic manufacturers may use any ingredient they chose, with the exception of a very few ingredients that are directly prohibited. In my opinion there are many “red flag” ingredients, but we’ll just isolate one.
One of the most widely used preservatives are Parabens. These chemicals can be seen on the back of your bottles as methylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, butylparaben, benzylparaben, and ethylparaben. Check the ingredients in your products and you will probably find that 90% of them contain one or a combination of these. They are also found to be naturally occurring in some foods, but the ones in cosmetics are synthetic. Why are they so liberally used? Because they are cheap and give a product a much longer shelf-life.
What’s the danger in using products with Parabens? Many studies have shown them to mimic estrogen and may be linked to certain allergic reactions, dermatitis, breast cancer, testicular cancer, prostate disorders, and the list goes on.
Cosmetic companies claim that the skin cannot absorb the ingredients present in their products. However, there is overwhelming evidence that our skin is permeable to certain substances. “Your skin is enough of a barrier to keep fluids in your body”, writes Samuel Epstein, MD and author of Toxic Beauty, “but it also readily absorbs many things with which it comes in contact with.” The Chemical Hazards Handbook from the London Hazards Centre Trust gives this information: “Although the skin acts as a protective barrier against many micro-organisms and chemicals, some chemicals can penetrate the skin and enter the blood stream.”
Now you may be thinking that since it occurs in some of our food naturally then the synthetic version, which is chemically identical to the natural version, shouldn’t pose any risk. Unfortunately, many experts agree that absorption through the skin is much more dangerous than through the mouth. Dr Epstein affirms this: “Chemicals taken in by the mouth are absorbed by the intestines and pass into venous blood, which is taken to the liver. Chemicals absorbed through the skin bypass the liver and enter blood circulation without this protection.”
Yes, there is a lot more to be learned about how much of these chemicals are actually absorbed, but the fact is that it is happening. And even if it is a very small percentage that we actually absorb and store, most women apply these products daily or more. Think of the cumulative effect this could have. Although the research is limited and can’t tell us for sure what effect parabens may have on our bodies after years of use, wouldn’t you rather avoid these if possible?
By Sunshine K.
Sources:
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/SelectedCosmeticIngredients/ucm128042.htm
http://lhc.org.uk/members/pubs/books/chem/chebbcaa.htm
http://blog.cincovidas.com/toxic-alert-skin-can-absorb-what-we-apply-to-it%E2%80%94including-cosmetic-chemicals
Really enjoyed this article! Especially because I had never heard how chemicals absorb differently through skin and mouth. I didn’t realize what goes on our skin bypasses the liver. As an esthetician, that’s good to know.
Thanks! Yeah I found that point very interesting too. Glad to know it was helpful.
Hi, great post. I was told about parabens from my Dermatologist. She recommended I use a paraben free shampoo, so I use Dr. Bronners and John Masters hair pomade now. But usually the other body products don’t hold up too well, i.e. body soaps, deodorants, toothpaste. Have you found good products that work?
Hey thanks. Yeah I have found some good products. Although they are all paraben free, it seems like it’s hard to get away from other things like propylene glycol, sulfates and added fragrance though. I finally found a good paraben and aluminum-free deodorant for my husband that he loves. It’s Arm and Hammer Essentials Natural Deodorant. It still has some ingredients that I’m not fond of but it works really well for him and is relatively free of chemicals. For women I like Kiss my Face deodorant.
Sometimes you have to try quite a few of them to see what works best for you though. I like getting products at whole foods because you can try them out and return them if they don’t work for you. I get Whole foods brand bodywash and use Burt’s Bees grapefruit shampoo, which is free of parabens and is the only sulfate-free shampoo I have found that actually lathers. Jason uses Every Man Jack shaving gel and aftershave which I think is from Target. And he uses Zia mens facewash and lotion, which is from Whole Foods.
Hope that helps.
Very informative article. Thanks for sharing!