The claim "paraben free," is everywhere these days. The soap Sue and I make, being a natural soap is paraben free, but what exactly are parabens, and why is a paraben free product a good thing?
Parabens are preservatives. Introduced into products in the 1920's they are used in some foods but mostly they are used in cosmetics and body care products because somebody care products and cosmetics contain biodegradable ingredients shortening their shelf life and therefore profitability. Parabens — chemical preservatives, are absorbed through the skin into our biodegradable bodies which scientists believe, increases the risk of cancer, breast cancer in particular which in turn shortens your human shelf life.
I mention that people are biodegradable because we don't think about it much. So much of what we consume, from food to cosmetics contain preservatives which is great for corporate manufacturers but not so great for the human body. It stands to reason that because people biodegrade, what people consume should biodegrade. The fact that so much of what we consume is filled with preservatives is a consequential factor to our health and our enjoyment of the things we consume. For example not only are fresh fruit, veggies meat, and fish healthy they taste better, it's why those of us with discerning taste flock to farmers' markets, or are willing to pay a kings ransom for food at high-end grocery stores. There's also nothing better than unadulterated chemical free, preservative free — paraben free soap, it feels fantastic on your skin versus the detergents masquerading as soap that fill the "health and beauty" aisles in stores. Mass produced for pennies, and sold for maximum profit — the churned out subpar products we think is soap, sold as soap doesn't meet the definition of soap and is in fact detergent. The sad part is most of us have been washing with the stuff for so long we don't know what real soap is and how wonderful it is ( easily remedies here) . . . but I digress. Let's get back to parabens
Listed as methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, or ethylparaben
parabens mimic estrogen, a predominant female hormone. The mimicked estrogen is an environmental estrogen called oestrogen. Oestrogen disrupts natural hormones throwing our natural hormones off balance spurring the growth of breast cancer cells in women's bodies and ladies, because we use more cosmetics than men we get the worst of it. A 2018 study (Berger) found that adolescents girls who wear makeup every day (the of the selfie generation), have 20 times the levels of the long chain paraben, propylparaben in their urine samples compared to girls who don't wear makeup. Men don't get a pass. Parabens disrupt their hormones too. Parabens are in the grooming products both sexes use every day; "soap", shampoo, hair conditioner, deodorant, moisturizers, makeup, sunscreens, shaving gels, toothpaste, etc. Parabens disrupt the normal function of male hormones, affecting the reproductive systems, fertility, and birth outcomes.
92 Percent
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. It's a program designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. One of these studies found parabens in more than 92 percent of Americans, yikes.
Money, Money Money
So why are parabens used? Money. If the product you manufacture lasts for years on shelves, imagine what that does to your bottom line. Farmers — when their broccoli and carrots go bad they lose money. They are on a treadmill constantly producing and rushing to deliver broccoli and carrots, meanwhile, on aisle ten the parabens infused soaps deodorants and lipsticks are chillin. Chillin in the grocery store, chillin in your bathroom medicine cabinet, then chillin in your body.
When you consider that most of us use body products all of our lives, every day you can see the potential for long term, exposure, which is exactly what happens. We are exposed from infancy to death . . . and the truth of the matter is there is no need for paraben usage. Body products don't have to be made with parabens — Sue and I don't use them to make our soap, and our soap is wonderful.
Oh, and one more thing, parabens are bad for the environment. Detected in surface waters, sediment, and fish (Haman 2015). Parabens are linked to ecological harm. In fact, low levels of it can kill coral, (Danaovaro 2008).