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Sun Jun 11, 2006 8:42 pm  |
I would be more concerned about the fact that parabens mimic estrogen in the body and most of us have too much of it, anyway with all the exposure to xenoestrogens.
I personally err on the side of caution with parabens and try to avoid them as much as I can. |
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Sun Jun 11, 2006 8:50 pm |
Thanks. But I meant refuted by another study or scientific review, not by someone's opinion of the relevance of the study on a forum.  |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 7:58 am |
BYRG I had never heard this before. Do you know if this study was published in a peer reviewed journal? If so what one? It is interesting but without more information to go on it is hard to determine anything about the validity of the claim.
Molly do I need to be a registered user of theskincareboard forum to read the link you posted? When I clicked on the link a log-in page came up. |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:31 am |
| I'm such a novice when it comes to knowing the affects of ingredients found in skincare products. It seems like the more I read, the more I get confused. Could anyone briefly explain what parabens are & why they should be avoided? I see them listed in so many products. TIA. |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:40 am |
| HI kls. I don't know a lot of in-depth information about parabens, but here's the simplest explanation I know: parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben, etc etc) are preservatives that are in the majority of make up and skincare products. While there is a lot of debate as to whether or not parabens are actually harmful, some studies have pointed to paraben either contributing to or causing certain types of cancer. While a lot more research is needed before anything concrete is established, many people (myself included) prefer to err on the side of caution and avoid parabens whenever possible. Luckily, there are many good skincare lines that are paraben-free. Some that I can think of off the top of my head (feel free to correct me if I make a mistake, anyone) are: Dr. Hauschka, Jurlique, Caudalie (I believe they are in the process of changing all their products to paraben-free), Nature's Gate Organics, Juice Beauty, Burt's Bees, Zenbiotic, Ganache For Lips, Badger Balm, Desert Essence Organics, Malie Kauai, etc. It's very difficult (at least for me) to ban parabens 100%, but by finding a few products you like from paraben-free companies, you can make a big difference. |
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27, sensitive/reactive/acne prone skin, dark brown hair, blue eyes, possibly the palest woman alive... |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:59 am |
Manslayerliz-
Thanks for the info, it was very helpful. I'm trying to be more of an informed consumer these days, but the task can seem overwhelming at times! |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:11 am |
| Quote: |
Manslayerliz-
Thanks for the info, it was very helpful. I'm trying to be more of an informed consumer these days, but the task can seem overwhelming at times! |
I seem to feel the same way. There is so much to learn and so much research left to be done but the world of the internet is very helpful and there are so many great resources out there to help us become educated. You'll find a lot of organic and natural companies who don't use the "regualar" list of ingredients full of harmful chemicals and preservatives will often tell you on their website why they don't use them and explain the harm they can possibly cause. I know Aubrey Organics once put out a great little pamphlet explaining the "bad" ingredients and other companies have done so as well but no other one seems to come to mind right now. I also try to stay away from parabens and all other unnatural perservatives and ingredients as much as I can. Better safe than sorry I say. |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:19 pm |
| parabens are basically the cheap way out to preserving cosmetic products and what not...it seems the more expensive high end products omit the parabens but it costs more to use better preservatives. Correct me if im wrong..but i think that's what i remember about parabens. |
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Extremely fair/sensitive skin(mild rosacea)that burns very easy.acne is rare/skin is dry.27 years old. |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:20 pm |
| but to add i've also seen department store brands with high prices that still have parabens...which means we need to really do out homework with ingredients |
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Extremely fair/sensitive skin(mild rosacea)that burns very easy.acne is rare/skin is dry.27 years old. |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:30 pm |
| Quote: |
| Molly do I need to be a registered user of theskincareboard forum to read the link you posted? When I clicked on the link a log-in page came up. |
Hi Theresa
I guess so then! It's free and there's some interesting reading to be had there. Well worth a browse I reckon.
I understand from what I read that it was not peer reviewed so as it's not really accepted as a proper study by most other scientists it would be unlikely that would be another study to refute it.
I hope I don't appear to be 'natural' bashing. I'm not. Last year I got badly bashed up for being a natural, anti-chemical person, which I'm not either. I fall somewhere between the two.
I feel and I know others will disagree that in the end you can never understand the chemistry of these things deeply enough to know what a small change does to this or that chemical and it's more reliable to find opinions and companies you trust. Of course you can't base all your trust in them and still need to be an aware consumer, but there's only so far you can take this without a Phd in bio-chemistry or whatever field this is.
Just my point of view
M |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:37 pm |
| I think for anything to be classified as pure, scientific evidence that something is truely a fact, MULTIPLE scientific studies must be done along with controls and very very little change along with other scientists to approve of the studies and what not. Doesn't hurt to be aware of such studies, which might urge me to look for more articles about these parabens. |
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Extremely fair/sensitive skin(mild rosacea)that burns very easy.acne is rare/skin is dry.27 years old. |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:52 pm |
I agree PurpleTurtle. I don't think one study is the last word in something, but it can alert us something sometimes.
I do think that the internet does sometimes make these things look bigger than the reality though by replication and reporting so widely. You might find echoes of this study all over the place and from the numbers think it has some validity whereas it only stems from one piece of research.
I also think sometimes the scientific community is too conservative so change comes from outside of that. Just look at the history of alternative medicine in the West. What most doctors would have considered quite looney 20 years ago is now offered in GPs practises.
So, yes you need to keep your eyes open  .
M |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:40 pm |
I'm not a scientific type of person, but it doesn't sound good if it causes 3x the damage of skin cell death in the sun. More studies are obviously needed, if that's what the first one on that found. On humans of course, not animals!
I have seen Dr. Pickart say that parabens are just harmless preservatives naturally found in plants. That maybe true, but from everywhere else I heard they are derived from petroleum to use in cosmetics because it's much cheaper of course then to extract them from plants. And also that they are in much higher concentrations then just what is naturally in plants. And also that they contain or produce formaldehyde etc. If any of that is true. I know Dr. Pickart also says that because our body should recognize them it can easier detox them. But I'd rather avoid all my products containing petroleum chemicals that my body has to work at detoxing in the first place. And since it goes directly into the blood stream, and not digested maybe the body cannot detox all of them and they can build up in the tissues. Why else would they be able to find parabens in the tumors or breast tissue, if they were detoxed from the body? I just think whole plant complexes and extracts are easier for the body to deal with and reconize. Who knows though. |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:00 pm |
Hi BYRG
Yes, it would probably be better if Skinbio could find some other preservative. And I don't have much respect for Dr Pickart's opinions on a lot of things anyhow.
I know some of you worry about everything that goes into your body and you put on your skin which is presumably why you source all things organic, but for me, I reckon they are just such tiny amounts that it really doesn't concern me. I think it's a personal choice and depends on your circumstances.
Maybe where you live you are starting off with a cleaner environment to begin with and you can make choices about what you consume on a daily basis, but I'm in China; the air is thickly pasted with pollutants, the interior of my flat is coated in God knows What and my food - 25% of fruit and vegetables is recently reported (Hong Kong news) to be covered in banned substances and 85% contain higher than allowed preservatives. So I sprout my own mung beans, but otherwise I have zero control over my environment so a little scrap of preservative within a more powerful anti-oxidizing and healing product does not concern me.
Though I look forward to another company producing something better.
M |
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Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:19 pm |
hi byrg,
most parabens in products are the very last thing you see on the list. I'd me more prone to buying a product like that than let's say...a product with a paraben second on the list (yes, i have seen some products..a sunscreen actually, that had a paraben second in the inactive ingredients). Also, you have to think of the immune system we have. Our body fights off a lot..but if we go all organic and take away anything that could be a threat to our system, that in fact can break down our immune system because it is not used to fighting off anything. Think about the food you eat..that is all processed for the most part too (unless you are an all organic person). What also can be scary is the thought of what is possibly not listed in smoe of the products that is indeed in there. |
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Extremely fair/sensitive skin(mild rosacea)that burns very easy.acne is rare/skin is dry.27 years old. |
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Tue Jun 13, 2006 9:39 am |
| its scary to think if this paraben does more damage to the skin. |
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Tue Jun 13, 2006 9:57 am |
Awesome topic and great discussion!
In some ways I can identify with at least some part of what each of you are saying. I used to be into all natural/no chemical and was taking that to an extreme. Lately I have been more willing to use products with chemicals, parabens, etc. but I do try to limit my exposure to these. I feel that a little parabens are better than a contaminated product so I don't have a problem if they are located at the end of the ingredient list. The way I look at the breast cancer-paraben link is that it has not been proven that parabens cause breast cancer but that parabens have been found in the breast tissue of women with cancer. I will not split hairs here I will just say that the study does not prove causation. I do think that this is one area where more research does need to be done. I totally agree with what some of you have said about studies. One study does not prove something but if something comes up in a study like a link between parabens and skin aging then I think that more studies need to be done. You are right Molly, it can alert us to something that needs more investigation.
Let me clarify something about peer reviewed and why I felt it was important to ask this question. If a study is done it needs to have proper controls and protocols to ensure that the results are as accurate as possible and not due to chance, bias or some other factor. When a study is published in a peer reviewed journal it means just that. Other scientists have reviewed the study and deemed that it was conducted scientifically with proper methodology. Does this mean that the other scientists agree with the results and conclusions? Absolutely not! It just means that the study was conducted with scientific rigor. If a study is not published in a peer reviewed journal there is not guarantee that it was conducted with proper scientific methodology. Does this mean the study is bad? Not necessarily. I know that the peer review process has it's detractors and faults but IMO it is very important.
Molly I totally agree that reporting is part of the problem. I am not sure reporters, writers, etc. always know how to properly interpret a study so they may present something as fact when there is really insufficient evidence to draw the conclusion that is being drawn. It also irks me that some claims are given equal time with others even though sometimes one side really does have more evidence. I think part of the problem is that the mainstream media feels compelled to present both sides equally despite that fact that the evidence on both sides is not always equal. Okay I will stop here, I quess you can tell I am not too happy with how science is reported! |
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Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:01 am |
The only skin care line I know of that is paraben free & has a self-preservation or preserving formula is Usana's Sense I use their vitamins (when I remember to take them  ). |
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Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:23 am |
| There are a lot of other products on the market that are paraben free and preserved with ingredients like Japanese Honeysuckle, essential oils, grain alcohol, and phenoxyethanol in various combinations. Some companies are removing parabens or simply producing new products without using them. |
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Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:41 pm |
| Oh, I forgot another GREAT paraben-free company--- chidoriyaworld.com! |
_________________
27, sensitive/reactive/acne prone skin, dark brown hair, blue eyes, possibly the palest woman alive... |
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Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:15 pm |
| I appreciate the education. I didn't know about the potential problem and will continue to research. Am so glad you all share such great info with everyone! |
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Fri Jun 16, 2006 2:53 am |
| I have to agree mostly with TheresaL. I like to use products that I believe will make a difference to my skin and, many of those products do contain a preservative at the bottom of the list. I would suggest that if you purchase an "all natural" product that has no preservatives then it should state very clearly a use by date. If there is no use by date, then, no matter how "natural" it was, I would not use it at all as I think it could do more harm than all the preservatives you are trying to avoid. |
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Skin: Over 60, ex combination now sensitive, Cellcosmet |
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Fri Jun 16, 2006 3:51 am |
I would have to agree with the majority...I currently use a mix of completely paraben-free & some products that still contain parabens. Honestly I'm not sure if parabens do cause the skin to age or are cancerous etc  I also recently saw a program on TV regarding sulfates & how they too can cause cancer, cataracts, blindness & damage to internal organs etc. But it's hard to confirm whether these statements are actually true, because the guy that was making these claims about sulfates & other chemicals including parabens was just trying to promote his own "all-natural" products! So personally I just try not to worry about all these claims too much & just use everything in moderation!  |
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