With the beauty industry gaining a larger and larger audience, consumers are looking out for the very best ingredients. Many companies are opting out of synthetic ingredients in favor of more natural ones, making customers feel safer and more trusting. That also includes removing all parabens from their product labels. So what are parabens, and how do they directly affect customers? Here’s the truth about parabens and how to know if they’re bad for your skin.
What Are Parabens?
Parabens are chemicals used as artificial preservatives since the 1920s, primarily in cosmetics and body care products. Many cosmetics contain ingredients that degrade over time, but preservative chemicals such as parabens prevent and reduce mold and bacteria growth. They also increase the shelf life of products.
Types of Parabens
Many cosmetics products, including moisturizers, face cleansers, sunscreens, deodorants, and makeup, contain different mixtures of parabens. Parabens are also present in many men’s products, such as shaving gels and creams, toothpaste, and body washes. Paraben types include:
- Methylparaben
- Ethylparaben
- Propylparaben
- Isopropylparaben
- Butylparaben
- Isobutylparaben
As these paraben mixtures interact, the parabens can increase estrogenic activity and sensitivity.
Health Effects
The preliminary discussion of how to know if parabens are harmful to your skin is being actively monitored. For the first time, recent research has linked parabens and their estrogenic properties with human breast cancer tumors.
Additionally, parabens can cause skin irritation for users. The skin itself can become sensitized to products that contain parabens, resulting in cracking, brittleness, pain, swelling, rashes, and so on. Use of skin products that contain parabens can even result in contact dermatitis. So it’s best to find a vegan body cream free of parabens if you want to keep your skin soft without causing potential harm.
If your skin isn’t feeling hydrated, let us at Max Green Alchemy help you. Our vegan Skin Rescue body cream, containing paraben-free moisturizing ingredients, can help you through any bout of skin dryness. By avoiding steroids, synthetic chemicals, petrochemicals, and GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in our products, we guarantee your skin will feel luxurious and soft.
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