By the time you squeeze a dollop of your favourite moisturiser, sunscreen or serum and apply it onto your face, your tube, bottle or pot has been shuttled across planes, trains and cars through manufacturing units, warehouses, points of sale, and finally, your bathroom shelf. Products have to have a long shelf life these days, so it makes sense that they’d need a powerful preservative to keep them fresh, effective and safe for use the whole way through (especially with formulas that you dip your fingers into, like an eye cream or balm cleanser). Enter: parabens. “Parabens are synthetic chemicals used as preservatives for skincare, makeup, food, and even pharmaceutical drugs. That means they prevent pathogens from growing in your products. They have a low allergy potential, they are low cost, and it works well to keep bacteria and fungus out of these common products that we eat, use and drink,” says Dr Kiran Sethi, Delhi-based integrative aesthetic specialist, dermatologist and founder, Isyaderm.
If you’re a cosmetic chemist, you love parabens. They’re odourless, colourless, tasteless and neutral—they can be added to your sunscreen without changing anything in the formula or how you’ll experience the product. They’re cheap, so they don’t add a lot to the manufacturing cost, and they’re good at doing what they’re meant to do—prevent bacteria, fungi and mould from forming in your favourite eyeliner or Vitamin C serum. It’s vital for the products you don’t finish ASAP—that tub of cream highlighter is the perfect warm, moist home for bacteria to form if the formula isn’t made shelf-stable. So why is everyone getting in a tizzy about an ingredient that has been safely used since the 1950s?
Scientific research is a topsy turvy road. As studies and research papers are released, the scientific community aims to figure out what’s new, safe, and changed. Back in 2004, a study found parabens in breast cancer tissue. Through criticisms of the study (some scientists said that the researchers didn’t use control, the sample size was too small, and the possibility of sample contamination was high), the whole thing was inconclusive. While there wasn’t enough evidence to prove a link between paraben use and breast cancer, it did prove that parabens can pass through the skin barrier and accumulate in the body. “The studies have flaws and are not well-regarded in the science community,” confirms Ginger King, a cosmetic product developer. Other papers say that parabens may mimic oestrogen, which can disrupt hormone production and cause an increased risk of cancer and reproductive issues. But here’s the catch: while we use parabens in our toothpaste, cleanser and foundation every day, the consolidated amounts are so little. The European Commission Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety concludes that parabens are safe in normal cosmetic use because the maximum authorised concentrations (0.4% of one type, or 0.8% of a combination) are so low.
It might not even be about the actual formula—sometimes it’s just messaging. Take the example of Drunk Elephant, a ‘clean’ skincare brand that launched products without any controversial ingredients, formulating without drying alcohols, essential oils, silicones, chemical sunscreen, fragrances and SLS. The brand is paraben and phthalate-free too. While the founder, Tiffany Masterson, removed anything that could be problematic for sensitive skin, she skipped parabens just because it was good business sense (and it helped shuttle the brand into a traditionally clean niche). “Parabens, by the way, I think are fine. I think they’re demonised in the industry. There’s not a whole lot of evidence because you use it in such small amounts. They’re actually a good ingredient. But the industry has sort of decided that they’re toxic, and so the consumer wants to avoid them. So I avoid ingredients like that just because the consumer doesn’t want them,” she shared in an interview.
"PARABENS, BY THE WAY, I THINK ARE FINE. I THINK THEY’RE DEMONISED IN THE INDUSTRY."Tiffany Masterson
"The subject of parabens can raise extreme opinions regarding safety, and despite the fact that after much study, parabens are not yet officially identified or listed as an endocrine-disrupting chemical by any government, medical or regulatory organisation, the classification of parabens by some groups as “toxic” and “cancer-causing” continues,” says Cigdem (Chidem) Kemal Yilmaz, chemical engineer and founder of Skin Masterclass. “Yes, there are individuals and organisations who genuinely and sincerely believe that parabens are cause for concern, but it could be argued that some marketers of natural and preservative-free cosmetic products support such statements as part of their marketing point.”
This brings a question to light: should consumers call the shots about what beauty brands formulate with? Beauty brands like Cetaphil and Kiehl’s have been changing their formulas to be paraben-free because they may see other brands using free-from claims and follow suit with what’s popular right now. Even beauty behemoths like Sephora are considering only paraben-free products in their “Clean at Sephora” category because consumers are looking for that black and white labelling that’ll help them feel good, safe and comfortable about the products they’re choosing. So many decisions about what ingredients are used in a product are based on market sentiment instead of actual product performance, which can only add to the misinformation that is being circulated.
“Clean” has become the buzziest skincare descriptor—thanks, in large part, to brands and people like Gwyneth Paltrow and Kourtney Kardashian, as well as a media-driven scaremongering narrative that decries products with synthetic ingredients as “unclean.” It’s all because of the desire to combat the scary unknown—products that you use every day could cause disease, cancer, allergies, irritation and long-term effects that you don’t even know yet. If choosing a specific brand of face wash makes you feel more in control because it’s cleaner or doesn’t have parabens, you do you. There are alternatives—King says that you can use capryl glycol or phenoxyethanol, but there are limitations to each preservative depending on the pH of the formula. Manufacturers have found paraben alternatives like sorbic, benzoic and levulinic acids, and more research is underway. “It is important to note that while a lot of previous research may have been flawed, the growing consumer concern pushed beauty manufacturers to find preservative ingredients that work in a similar manner,” says Ron Robinson, cosmetic chemist, Beautystat.com. TL;DR: You don’t have to be deathly terrified of what’s in your moisturiser anymore, and the risk of a mould infestation in your tub should feel scarier than the faint (and vague) possibility of paraben toxicity.