By now you have probably heard about parabens. Though there are many toxic ingredients we should be aware of in cosmetics, parabens have been put in the spotlight. This is in large part due to their link with breast cancer. Because of the awareness these synthetic preservatives have brought, many consumers are looking for products with more natural cosmetic preservatives.

Most of us would be hard pressed to find our bathroom shelves completely free from products containing parabens. They show up on the labels of cosmetics under a variety of names including; alkyl parahydroxybenzoate, butylparaben, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparabens.

If a product is water based it is susceptible to bacterial/microbial growth, which of course is not a good thing. To prevent this contamination from occurring many cosmetics manufacturers use parabens. Effective at preservation, it may come at a steep price.

Parabens are believed to mimic estrogen in our bodies, increasing our risk for certain cancers, impaired fertility and birth defects. Recent studies have shown parabens in the tumors of breast cancer patients and because they boost estrogen, which stimulates cell division, researchers believe this causes the tumor to grow more rapidly.

Parabens are a controversial subject. Some cosmetics manufacturers claim that a certain percentage is safe and their devoted customers may be comfortable with this. But you have to figure, if the average adult woman were to use three products containing parabens at least once per day every day those exposures start to add up over the course of a lifetime. Parabens are found in the products we use on our children too. Still comfortable?

The bottom line is that we do not yet know enough about parabens and their risk to our health, but what we do know is not good. There are safe, effective cosmetic preservatives. Parabens are not the only, and certainly not the best, option.