Thursday, December 4, 2014

Paraben Free Beauty Products For Everyone

By Claudine Hodges


Health concerns and their associated trends seem to be popping up all the time. In part this is due to the media creating buzzes over different things every day. Some are over in a few days and others pop up every few months. One that is not going away is the concern over chemicals in cosmetics. Increasing numbers of consumers are seeking out paraben free beauty products because they have decided it is better to be safe than sorry, after all we put them on our bodies all day long.

They are found in many types of cosmetic and personal health items. Toothpaste, shampoo, moisturizers, sunscreens and make-up generally contain at least one type of paraben. Manufacturers add them to preserve cosmetics so that they do not go bad and cause harm to users. However, in recent years people have become concerned that there may be adverse health effects from using these artificial preservatives and have started to look for alternatives.

One of the worst potential problems is the link with breast cancer. It is too early to say whether there is a causal role for these preservatives in the development of cancer, more work needs to be done. However, traces of the chemicals have been found in tumors removed from breast cancer patients.

It is also thought that they may effect hormone production. The endocrine system may be affected by these chemicals. This is potentially very serious as all kinds of bodily functions are governed by the endocrine system. It is responsible for hormone production and includes the adrenal gland, pituitary, thyroid and pancreas.

In recent years scientists have become increasingly worried by the lowering fertility rates in developed countries. Some have suggested that hormone disrupting additives to food and cosmetics could play a role in this. Parabens would fall into this category but so far there is not sufficient evidence to ban them and they approved by most governments around the world. There is also growing concern over the fact that our bodies are exposed to thousands of chemicals every day. Most have not been tested in conjunction with the others and so many people are trying to avoid them wherever possible.

It is possible to make cosmetics with a sufficient shelf life without adding parabens, but what are producers using instead? Some are just changing to other synthetic preservatives such as sodium benzoate or diazolidinyl urea. Unfortunately some of these also have long lists of potential side effects and some are virtually untested. Companies have done this in response to public concerns about parabens but it may just be swapping like for like.

It is worth doing some research to find out exactly what is in the cosmetics we use. There are totally natural alternatives but large scale producers are unable to use them as they do not extend the shelf life for long enough. At the moment the best way to find all natural products is to buy ones which have a shorter shelf life and buy small amounts and use them straight away.

Finding cosmetics without parabens is getting easier all the time. In response to consumer demand increasing numbers of large producers and ever more artisan producers are making whole ranges without adding them. They can be found online, where specialist websites list all kinds of products for everyone. Health stores are also stocking these cosmetics, sunscreens and toothpastes.




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