Forums » Beauty, hair, treatments and reviews » Beauty products and treatments » Do you know why there are parabens in your beauty products?
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Do you know why there are parabens in your beauty products?
posted at 6/7/2009 12:06 PM BST
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Total posts: 11
First post: 6/7/2009 Last post: 8/9/2009 |
I only use natural products, because the chemicals used in mainstream products are linked to health risks. Are you aware? Especially parabens , a common and cheap preservative that can be found in almost all mainstream toiletries, have been linked to breast cancer so I think it's worth avoiding them. It's not common knowledge so I just wanted to share an interesting article that appeared in the Daily Mail today as it refers to academic research on this topic: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1197700/ARE-YOUR-TOILETRIES-TOXIC-From-soap-shampoo--daily-shower-bad-you.html Do have a read of the ingredients list on the bottles that you have in your bathroom. If you don't know what they mean, you can find out more about each ingredient on the Cosmetics Database website, which will tell you how toxic it is: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ Be empowered and make sure you are aware of what you put on your skin  |
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Re: Do you know why there are parabens in your beauty products?
posted at 6/7/2009 12:10 PM BST
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Total posts: 2149
First post: 11/3/2005 Last post: 23/11/2009 |
but the word with parabens is MIGHT. If proved they would be removed by law. The FDA in America let them be used in products and they are usually pretty OCD about many ingredients used in European and UK beauty products. |
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Re: Do you know why there are parabens in your beauty products?
posted at 6/7/2009 2:18 PM BST
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Total posts: 11
First post: 6/7/2009 Last post: 8/9/2009 |
In Response to Re: Do you know why there are parabens in your beauty products?: but the word with parabens is MIGHT . If proved they would be removed by law. The FDA in America let them be used in products and they are usually pretty OCD about many ingredients used in European and UK beauty products. Posted by donna255 The use of parabens is controversial - what I don't understand is why there is not more research being done about this topic? In regards to the above point, the FDA is a bit of a useless body. Please find more information here on how the FDA works which you can find here: http://www.ewg.org/newsclip/Saving-Face-How-Safe-Are-Cosmetics-and-Body-Care-Products+ The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act authorized the FDA—which also oversees food and drug safety—to make sure that cosmetics do not contain toxic or contaminated ingredients or provide false or incomplete label information. But cosmetics do not have to be approved by the FDA before they hit stores or the Internet. "It's the [cosmetic] firm's responsibility to assure that its cosmetic products and ingredients are safe and properly labeled," explains the FDA's Web site. Under current law, cosmetics makers also aren't required to register with the FDA or give the agency information on ingredients or cosmetic-related injuries. An FDA spokesperson says, however, that the agency monitors the market for potential dangers. The FDA will step in "if we start noticing that there are a lot of adverse reports coming in" from consumers, says Linda Katz, director of the FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors division. "If we find out that there is a product out there [that's] unsafe, we can gather data and contact the distributor or manufacturer." Recalls of a product, however, are the prerogative of the company that makes or distributes it. If the FDA believes a product to be unsafe, it "may request a recall," but it cannot require one, it notes on its Web site. "The system for regulating cosmetics [in the U.S.] is virtually nonexistent," Archer says. "Other countries are far ahead." The E.U., for example, has banned the use of more than 1,000 substances in cosmetics; in contrast, the FDA has barred the use of eight substances for use in cosmetics: bithionol, chloroflurocarbon propellants, chloroform, halogenated salicylanilides, methylene chloride, vinyl chloride, zirconium-containing complexes, and prohibited cattle materials (to prevent the spread of mad cow disease). Other chemicals are restricted to certain uses and require special labeling. Earlier this year, for example, the FDA concluded that carmine, an extract from insects used as coloring in some makeup and food, was a common allergen. As a result, it ruled that beginning next year carmine must be listed as an ingredient rather than simply as "color added" on cosmetic and food labels. |
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Re: Do you know why there are parabens in your beauty products?
posted at 7/7/2009 6:18 PM BST
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Total posts: 2149
First post: 11/3/2005 Last post: 23/11/2009 |
Liz Earle uses parabens as well http://us.lizearle.com/index_2.php?userpage=factsheetpreserve Her comments not all parabens are bad. |
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Re: Do you know why there are parabens in your beauty products?
posted at 8/7/2009 1:13 AM BST
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Total posts: 4054
First post: 8/6/2004 Last post: 25/10/2009 |
Better parabens than some of the nastier moulds out there. Nothing's safe according to EWG. While I admire groups for bringing things like this to our attention, I do wish they'd stop scaremongering. ETA: The FDA have removed cosmetic items for safety reasons. I can't remember the most recent offhand, but I do remember reading an article posted by someone here last year. |
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Re: Do you know why there are parabens in your beauty products?
posted at 8/7/2009 3:19 PM BST
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Total posts: 1
First post: 8/7/2009 Last post: 8/7/2009 |
People dont half talk a lot of nonsense when it comes to the use of parabens in cosmetic products. The question should really be do YOU know why there are parabens in beauty products!? And do you actually know what they are? Parabens are preservatives that stop the growth of bacteria in cosmetics. But they also occur naturally in prunes, blueberries and cinnamon.. The clinical study [Reading Uni, 2004] that is often cited as evidence that parabens cause breast cancer has come under question several times by scientists. Yes paraben compounds were found in breast cancer tumors but also in the blanks [control] that were used in the study which leads one to question if the study was contaminate accidentally. Another question one needs to ask is if the "green" natural products arent using parabens what are they using as preservatives and are they using any at all. Water based cosmetics without preservatives are a breading ground for bacteria and can do much more harm than good. For those of you that think natural automatically equals good. think about this: poison ivy is natural but I wouldnt put it on my face... |
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Re: Do you know why there are parabens in your beauty products?
posted at 10/7/2009 3:29 PM BST
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Total posts: 11
First post: 6/7/2009 Last post: 8/9/2009 |
There is obviously not enough research on parabens and if there is no scientific proof that parabens are safe (and there isn't!), why would you put it on your skin? Also, please note there are safe alternatives out there - ingredients like lactoseperoxidase and ethyl alcohol (phenoxyethanol) are better and safer preservatives than parabens. Parabens are the cheapest and easiest preservatives to formulate with - that's why they are used in almost all mainstream products. It's not because they are the only option, it's because they are easy and guarantee bigger profit margins for the companies. I also would like to make the point that there is no need to panic - using a shower gel with parabens and sulfates willl not directly lead to cancer. However, it is one of the factors that may have an affect on your hormonal balance (as well as other factors like alcohol intake, contraception, diet, etc) and it is proven that hormonal disruption does lead to cancer. So, it can't harm you to reduce the amount of chemicals around you and on your skin. This is also recommended by the following breast cancer charity: http://www.nomorebreastcancer.org.uk/dont_panic.html |
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Re: Do you know why there are parabens in your beauty products?
posted at 10/7/2009 6:38 PM BST
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Total posts: 51
First post: 20/9/2007 Last post: 10/7/2009 |
I use A'kin products as they are the best "green" type products I've ever used. I buy them as I'm elergic to most of the things sold in the shops. So long as you use them up and don't leave them around for ages then I can't see a problem with bacteria. Most people leave their stuff like face cream around too long no matter if they are "natural" or not. Things in tubes are better than pots-pots are a right breading ground for bacteria as you are sticking your finger into it. I couldn't say weather parabens cause cancer or not- I just know the products without them are better for me due to allergies. |
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