What are parabens anyway?
Parabens are a group of chemical compounds that are used as preservatives in conventional cosmetics, but also to preserve medicines and foods. They are used to inhibit the growth of bacteria, yeast and mold and to ensure shelf life. Cosmetics containing water can quickly deteriorate without any preservation, fungi and bacteria spread, can disrupt the skin flora and weaken the effectiveness of the products. That’s why preservation basically makes sense. But not all preservation is the same.
Criticism about parabens
Parabens have been criticized because they are believed to have hormonal effects. Experiments on rats (contrary to what we believe) have shown that parabens caused uterine enlargement in female rats. In male rats, the number of healthy sperm was reduced and testosterone levels fell. Parabens are believed to mimic estrogenic activity in the body, disrupting hormonal balance. Studies have shown that parabens build up in our bodies. This could pose a high risk, particularly in breast tissue. There are concerns that long-term exposure to parabens may increase the risk of hormone-related cancers such as breast cancer. There are currently no meaningful long-term studies on humans, but experts recommend avoiding parabens.
In addition, parabens also have an impact on our environment. Since they are difficult to break down, they can end up in bodies of water and cause pollution there. This can have negative effects on the delicate balance of ecosystems.
How do I recognize parabens:
Recognizing parabens is very easy. Just pay attention to the ending of the words in the ingredients list. If it says “-paraben”, keep your hands off it. The most well-known parabens are methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben. Parabens that have been particularly poorly studied are phenylparaben (use banned in the EU) and isopropylparaben. You should definitely avoid these two!
Natural alternatives to preservation
Many manufacturers are now turning to alternative preservatives. However, not everything that glitters is gold here either. For example, using certain alcohols can cause skin irritation, allergies and dehydration.
That's why we use pentylene glycol in many of our products, for example our cleansers , base cream , base serum and our active ingredient complexes. In addition to the preservative effect, this “good alcohol” has moisturizing properties. In addition, it promotes the absorption of other active ingredients. They are easier to distribute and are more easily absorbed by the skin.
In addition, in some products such as our cleansing milk we also use tocopherol (vitamin E), which protects against “rancidity”, especially in oily formulations.
Most pure oils do not require any preservatives because they have a long shelf life and no yeast or fungi grow in oil. That's why our 4 pure oils: wild rose oil, safflower oil, sea buckthorn oil and grape seed oil do not contain any preservatives.
Last but not least, we rely on glycerin to preserve our plant extracts . Glycerin is an effective preservative that has excellent antimicrobial properties while promoting moisture retention, making it an ideal choice for aqueous products that need a long shelf life.
Conclusion
Parabens are preservatives that are suspected of having a negative impact on our hormonal system to influence. There are currently no studies that can reliably assess the risk for people. Due to the uncertainty, many experts advise against using it Paraben-containing cosmetics. Avoiding parabens is also better for the environment. That's why we at Herbsom completely avoid the use of parabens. So you can enjoy the benefits of our individual natural cosmetics without any worries.
