Sunday, December 7, 2014

Choosing Paraben Free Beauty Products

By Claudine Hodges


Health concerns and their associated trends seem to be popping up all the time. In part this is due to the media creating buzzes over different things every day. Some are over in a few days and others pop up every few months. One that is not going away is the concern over chemicals in cosmetics. Increasing numbers of consumers are seeking out paraben free beauty products because they have decided it is better to be safe than sorry, after all we put them on our bodies all day long.

People are trying to avoid parabens as they have become controversial. They are a type of preservative added to thousands of personal health and beauty items. From deodorant to toothpaste, sunscreen and make-up all of the contained parabens. That was until scientific research suggested they may be more harmful than was previously thought.

The first scare in relation to these preservative chemicals was in relation to breast cancer. It has to be said that many governments around the world have classified them as safe but paraben traces have been found in tumors taken from breast cancer patients. More research needs to be done to show whether or not there is any causal relationship between the cancer and the chemicals.

It is also thought that they may effect hormone production. The endocrine system may be affected by these chemicals. This is potentially very serious as all kinds of bodily functions are governed by the endocrine system. It is responsible for hormone production and includes the adrenal gland, pituitary, thyroid and pancreas.

These concerns about estrogen production do not just affect women, although it is another link to the breast cancer. Estrogen it is generally perceived as a female hormone but we all have produce estrogen. It has been suggested that the rise in fertility problems could be linked to endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Many consumers have decided not to wait for the research and are demanding paraben free products. This has caused manufacturers to start to produce these products with other preservatives. Many are also artificial and are either unproven or are known to have side effects. It seems they may just have swapped one harmful chemical for another.

Probably the safest way to know for sure that the products you buy are natural is to go for fresh ones with a short shelf life. They are increasingly available from small and large producers and although it is not as convenient at least you can be sure what you are putting on and therefore into your body. When we put a cream on our skin for example it only takes a few moments to be absorbed into the blood stream.

Paraben free products are increasingly popular and this is leading big companies to get in on the sales bonanza and produce cosmetics without them. However, in some cases they are just using other unhealthy chemicals in their place. Fresh products with a short shelf life are probably the safest and the easiest way to be sure that a product is totally free from harmful chemicals.




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