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Parabens
I have heard that these are bad. They are listed on the ingredients in lots of skincare products. Some brands claim not to use Parabens, these seem to be more expensive.
What are they and why are they bad?
What are they and why are they bad?
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Parabens are chemically, the alkyl esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid.
The most common ones in use are methyl para-hydroxybenzoate and propyl para-hydroxybenzoate (sometimes abbreviated to methyl p-hydroxybenzoate and propyl p-hydroxybenzoate respectively). Sometimes the ethyl and butyl esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid may be found on the ingredients lists of products. To make matters worse, sometimes you will find the sodium salts of the parabens I've listed on labels. Nevertheless, they are still parabens.
That's the chemistry lesson over. Now to the properties of these compounds.
The antimicrobial properties of parabens have been known for close on a century. They are very useful because they function well over a pH of between about 3.0 and 8.0 and can be consequently included in a wide range of food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Some countries do have restrictions on their use in some products but over the pond in the USA, the government Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified them for many years as GRAS ingredients ("Generally Recognised As Safe") and there are hardly any restrictions on usage.
Parabens are more effective against yeasts and moulds than bacteria and are stable at the high temperatures needed during manufacture of some products. The most susceptible bacteria are Gram-Positive forms rather than Gram-Negative forms.
(continued)
The most common ones in use are methyl para-hydroxybenzoate and propyl para-hydroxybenzoate (sometimes abbreviated to methyl p-hydroxybenzoate and propyl p-hydroxybenzoate respectively). Sometimes the ethyl and butyl esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid may be found on the ingredients lists of products. To make matters worse, sometimes you will find the sodium salts of the parabens I've listed on labels. Nevertheless, they are still parabens.
That's the chemistry lesson over. Now to the properties of these compounds.
The antimicrobial properties of parabens have been known for close on a century. They are very useful because they function well over a pH of between about 3.0 and 8.0 and can be consequently included in a wide range of food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Some countries do have restrictions on their use in some products but over the pond in the USA, the government Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified them for many years as GRAS ingredients ("Generally Recognised As Safe") and there are hardly any restrictions on usage.
Parabens are more effective against yeasts and moulds than bacteria and are stable at the high temperatures needed during manufacture of some products. The most susceptible bacteria are Gram-Positive forms rather than Gram-Negative forms.
(continued)
Parabens are usually in the form of a white, free flowing powder as the raw chemical - the extremely pure one we use in the lab regularly could be easily mistaken for "Coffee Mate".
Parabens are fairly soluble in water but their solubility rises rapidly on heating their solutions. In cosmetic products, other solvents such as the PEG variants, propylene glycol or ethanol are used in preference to water in some cases.
Parabens can be found in a wide range of food products, but restrictions do occur in some countries. They may be found in beer, beverages, meat and poultry products, wine baked goods and many other products depending on the country you live in. In the UK, I'm not certain what our masters in Brussels specify.
Parabens are fairly soluble in water but their solubility rises rapidly on heating their solutions. In cosmetic products, other solvents such as the PEG variants, propylene glycol or ethanol are used in preference to water in some cases.
Parabens can be found in a wide range of food products, but restrictions do occur in some countries. They may be found in beer, beverages, meat and poultry products, wine baked goods and many other products depending on the country you live in. In the UK, I'm not certain what our masters in Brussels specify.
To be honest, much rubbish is spoken about the toxicology and harmful effects of parabens.
Over the years, parabens have been linked to breast cancer and increased estrogenic activity. The reality is that the jury is still out over many of these claims regarding humans despite the fact that causal links can be demonstrated in small animal experiments
It is possible to be allergic to one or more parabens, but this is not unusual as we can be allergic to almost anything under the sun. I remember a few years ago, we had a lab technician who developed a form of contact dermatitis through frequent handling of methyl paraben. In itself, this is not unusual as even baker's can develop dermatitis from handling flour!
Although, I'm loathe to recommend it, have a look for parabens on Wikipedia which does seem to outline some of the salient points. Don't forget though that Wikipedia is user editable and should not be relied upon to contain the truth.
The reality is that no one knows for certain that parabens are drastically injurious to human heath because it has never been proven.
Over the years, parabens have been linked to breast cancer and increased estrogenic activity. The reality is that the jury is still out over many of these claims regarding humans despite the fact that causal links can be demonstrated in small animal experiments
It is possible to be allergic to one or more parabens, but this is not unusual as we can be allergic to almost anything under the sun. I remember a few years ago, we had a lab technician who developed a form of contact dermatitis through frequent handling of methyl paraben. In itself, this is not unusual as even baker's can develop dermatitis from handling flour!
Although, I'm loathe to recommend it, have a look for parabens on Wikipedia which does seem to outline some of the salient points. Don't forget though that Wikipedia is user editable and should not be relied upon to contain the truth.
The reality is that no one knows for certain that parabens are drastically injurious to human heath because it has never been proven.
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