Parabens are a group of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. They can be found in shampoos, moisturizers, shaving gels, cleansing gels, deodorants, toothpastes, personal lubricants and topical pharmaceuticals. They are also used as food additives. Parabens have been known to cause skin irritation, rash, contact dermatitis and allergic skin reactions and one paraben – butylparaben - has been found to act like the hormone oestrogen in laboratory experiments.

They appear on the labels of products as methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, isobutyl- and benzyl- (paraben) and many products will have 2 or more of these chemicals as part of a preservative system.

Many manufacturers will argue that the parabens are used in such small concentrations that they cannot have any adverse effect on humans. However, as they cannot be broken down, the concern is that use over a period of time will see them accumulate and there is no comprehensive research regarding the long term effects of low dose paraben use.



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