Paraben free vs paraben fortified, what would you choose?
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Parabens are preservatives that have been used as preservatives in shampoos, conditioners, topical medications, lipstick, skincare products including cleanser, moisturisers & many other products
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The Controversy: two landmark papers, one in 1998 showing very weak oestrogen like effects (yeast then rats), followed by the Darbre paper in 2004 that showed parabens present in 19 out of 20 breast tissue. Tissue was obtained from cases of breast cancer. No controls were done. From there hysteria took off, as the findings got lost in translation
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The facts: no proven link with cancer. Additionally the affinity for parabens binding to the oestrogen receptors is of a magnitude that is several thousands to hundred of thousands times less compared to estrogen. Parabens have a long safety record spanning a century & have a very, very low allergenic potential. They account for about 0.6% of positive reactions in patch test series. Compare this to other compounds like formaldehyde & quaternium 15 accounting for 3-15% of positives. Heck for the greenies, TTO or tea tree oil accounts for 2-3% of lights ups with patch testing.
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The industry has reacted to the paraben scare with companies such as Cetaphil, Neutrogena, Cerave & Aveeno releasing paraben free skincare lines. This is a knee jerk reaction to scaremongering & social media. Ignore it at the peril of company profits. Does it equate to safer products? Probably not, but time will tell. My views on Parabens are as is, as of 2021, this may change with more data in the future.
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Dr Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane, Australia
#paraben #parabenfree
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