Recently I told you about some demons lurking in your beauty products. I’ve talked about formaldehyde in hair products and lead in lipstick.
Today I want to shine a light on parabens. Big Beauty hides these chemicals in almost all of the personal care products you use every day. They’re in cosmetics, toothpaste, nail polish, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, and cleansers.
Parabens are preservatives. They protect against bacteria growth and other microorganisms. But they’ve never been tested for safety. Now independent scientists are sounding alarms.
But the FDA is doing nothing to ban these hazardous chemicals. Here’s why they should.
Parabens Linked to Infertility and Breast Cancer
Parabens disrupt hormones. In your body they mimic estrogen. They bind to estrogen receptors on cells. That can wreak havoc with your reproductive system.
Last year Harvard researchers linked parabens to fertility problems in women.1
And in an English study researchers detected parabens in the breast tumors of 19 out of 20 women tested.2 In another study researchers tested 40 breast cancer patients. They found higher paraben levels in the same area where the most breast cancer tumors developed.3
Researchers suggest parabens increase breast cancer risk by raising estrogen levels. They also increase the gene activity that causes human breast cancer cells to grow.4 That means parabens might initiate cancer in the first place or at least promote it.5
Those studies are troubling. Yet the FDA believes there is no reason for you to be concerned. They say parabens are safe in cosmetic products up to 25%. And they estimate the typical product contains only 0.01 – 0.3%.
Here’s why the government is plain WRONG.
We are swimming in an ocean of parabens. One product might not contain much. But the average woman’s daily beauty routine can involve 20 or more products. That can add up to over 500 chemicals.
No one knows the cumulative effect of these chemicals over time.
Protect Yourself With Paraben-Free Beauty Products
Look for products labeled “paraben-free.” A few cosmetic brands have removed these chemicals from their products altogether.
And of course, you can rely on my Pure Radiance products. They never contain parabens or other harmful chemicals.
But you still have to read ingredient lists on most products. Avoid anything that has “paraben” at the end of it. Examples are ethylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben, and propylparaben.
Look for natural preservatives. Some of the best include lavender oil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, goldenseal root, grapefruit seed extract, and citrus seed.
Here at the Wellness Center, I also recommend a supplement to my patients for extra protection.
DIM (diindolylmethane) sounds like an artificial chemical. But it’s 100% natural. Your body produces it when you eat cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale and cauliflower. Those vegetables help cleanse your system of excess estrogen. But you’d have to eat two pounds every day to get the benefits.
Taking 100 to 200 mg per day of DIM is equivalent to eating about a pound of cruciferous vegetables.
But go easy. Taking more than 300 mg might give you some gastrointestinal distress.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
1. Kristen W Smith, Urinary Paraben Concentrations and Ovarian Aging among Women from a Fertility Center. Environ Health Perspect. 2013 Aug 2. Epub 2013 Aug 2. PMID: 23912598
2. Darbre PD, et al, Concentrations of parabens in human breast tumours. J Appl Toxicol. 2004 Jan-Feb;24(1):5-13. Pubmed 14745841
3. Barr, L., Metaxas, G., Harbach, C. A. J., Savoy, L. A., & Darbre, P. D. (2012). Measurement of paraben concentrations in human breast tissue at serial locations across the breast from axilla to sternum. J Appl Toxicol, 32(3), 219–232.
4. Byford JR, Shaw LE, Drew MGB, Pope GS, Sauer MJ, Darbre PD (2002). Oestrogenic activity of parabens in MCF7 human breast cancer cells. 2002 Journal of Steroid Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 80:49-60. Pubmed 11867263
5. Amelia K Charles, Philippa D Darbre, Combinations of parabens at concentrations measured in human breast tissue can increase proliferation of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. J Appl Toxicol. 2013 May ;33(5):390-8. Epub 2013 Jan 31. PMID: 23364952