PARABENS:
The paraben family includes methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and ethylparaben. Parabens are synthetic (aka chemical) preservatives commonly used to increase the shelf life in cosmetics and personal care products like shampoos and conditioners, conditioners, cosmetics, facial masks, body lotions, deodorants and even children’s products. So if they are so commonly used they must be safe right?
Parabens have been known to cause skin irritation, rash, contact dermatitis, eczema, or allergic skin reactions. In laboratory testing parabens have been found to mimic the hormone estrogen. It is a well known medical fact that estrogen stimulates breast cancer. Scientists in the UK analyzed 20 breast tumors and found high concentrations of parabens in 18 samples! Do we really want anything to use anything that messes with our hormones?
Parabens also have been found to disrupt your body’s endocrine system (i.e., hypothalamus, ovaries and thyroid). These chemical preservatives typically enter the body by being absorbed through the skin where they bind to the body’s estrogen receptors and encourage the growth of cancer cells. Anything that enters the body through the skin may be as high as 10 times the concentration of an oral dose.
