Parabens. Sinners or saints?
Preservatives are critical for product safety. Great skin care and hair care products often combine proteins, lipids (fats), and polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates)—making them essentially food. Therefore, it is essential to preserve products properly to ensure consumer safety.
The most common preservatives have been widely tested and have been used in the industry for a long time. Controversial science has emerged in many categories, specifically around the use of parabens (esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid) and whether they might contribute to the development of tumors.
A 2004 study that appeared in the Journal of Applied Toxicology (http://tinyurl.com/3f4u7a) reports that parabens were found in samples of breast tumors. Further studies and debate in the scientific literature cast doubt on the validity of this study's conclusions. Despite all of the scientific and public discussion, no causal link with cancer has been proven.
Given the current state of science, the FDA continues to approve the use of paraben-based preservatives in cosmetics.
Would you sell products with parabens or would you prefer to have none of this ingredient in the products that you sell?
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