Parabens in cosmetics. How to find out about availability. Natural cosmetics - is it possible?

Parabens are esters of parahydrobenzoic acid that have pronounced fungicidal and bactericidal properties.

Methylparaben is one of the representatives of this series, differing from its “brothers” by easier dissolution in water and other solvents, rapid absorption, metabolization, destruction and removal from body tissues, as well as more pronounced activity against mold fungi, unlike ethylparaben, active against gram-negative bacteria and propylparaben, active against non-mold fungi.

Often found in nature, it has been found in cranberries, strawberries, blueberries and blueberries. In the first half of the 20th century it was obtained synthetically.

Its main properties are bactericidal and fungicidal properties, caused by interaction with the membranes of the cells of these organisms, disruption of the permeability of these membranes, and slowing down the absorption of glucose and proline by bacterial and fungal cells.

That is, when interacting with methylparaben, as a result of nutritional deficiency and removal of toxins from cells, these organisms die, which in turn allows the properties of the product to be preserved.

In human tissues, approximately 30% of the compound is destroyed immediately, the rest is processed by the kidneys and excreted naturally, and does not accumulate in healthy tissues of the body. In nature it is processed by soil acid bacteria.

Where can I meet you?

Due to its unique properties, nipagin (another name for the compound) is actively used in the food, pharmacological and cosmetic industries. In the food industry is called sodium methylparaben - preservative E-218 and is found in:

• jelly casings of meat products;
• confectionery products such as preserves, jams, confitures and some types of baked goods;
• breakfast cereals;
• instant soups, not to mention various mayonnaises, ketchups and sauces.

The pharmaceutical industry uses methylparaben to preserve the properties of soft dosage forms (ointments, creams, gels, liniments, suppositories), liquid (drops, syrups, suspensions, tinctures, decoctions) and even dressings.

It can be found in such well-known drugs as the antiviral ointment Acyclovir, the anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac or the cough syrup Codelac.

The cosmetics industry also actively uses methylparaben. It can be found in creams, gels, shampoos, rinses, conditioners, toothpastes, deodorants and decorative cosmetics.

However, due to the sharp decrease in the properties of nipagin in a liquid medium, its use as a preservative for such production products is considered inappropriate.

Why is it dangerous?

For all their positive properties, the reputation of parabens and methylparaben in particular turned out to be pretty tarnished. And here's what:

conclusions

Thus, the following conclusions can be drawn about methylparaben:

1. It is quite harmless, found in gifts of living nature, easily destroyed in the human body and soil, and has no tendency to accumulate in healthy tissues. In comparison with other types of preservatives, it is non-toxic and does not have carcinogenic or allergenic effects.
2. Research and the harm of the compound remains in question.
3. Since the manifestation of bactericidal and fungicidal properties does not require a high content of methylparaben in the product, its concentration is usually not high. A content of methylparaben in human tissue of no more than 10 mg/kg body weight is considered safe.
4. May appear under the name methylparaben, E-218, nipagin, para-hydrobenzoic acid methyl ester, para-hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester, methyl 4-parahydrobenzoate.
5. Approved for use in most European countries and Russia.

Modern beauty for women is associated with a variety of cosmetics. Makeup and shower products, tanning and skin rejuvenation products are all applied daily in huge quantities to the female body. Representatives of the fair sex are ready to spend a lot of money and spend a lot of time buying and applying “elixirs” of youth. Companies selling beauty and youth promise effective results. But in reality everything is completely different.

Methylparaben, the whole truth

A European group of researchers has collected a “consumer basket” with the most common cosmetic products that every woman uses every day. The “basket” included the following products: deodorants, powder, eye shadow, blush, hand soap, face lotions, body gels, shampoos and hairspray, sunscreen, hand and body creams. This cosmetic cocktail has one common component - preservatives, which increase their shelf life and stay on store shelves.

One of the most common preservatives is methylparaben. What is this in cosmetics? Are there any benefits or harms from them? These questions interest many today. Methylparaben is a chemical that is the methyl ester of para-hydroxybenzoic acid.

This preservative is used in the production of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and in the food industry. Most often it is labeled as E218. Methylparaben is a dangerous preservative.

Additive E218 prevents the formation of microbes, which allows you to extend the shelf life of the product. The main property of a preservative as a chemical is that it is quickly and easily absorbed into human skin. Considering that methylparaben is included in tens of thousands of cosmetic products, a person regularly fills his body with this harmful substance.

Recently, scientists are increasingly disseminating information that all parabens, including methylparaben, cause breast cancer. There is no reliable data on this, so it is impossible to say unequivocally that methylparaben causes the formation of cancerous tumors.

However, it is worth considering that if you use all kinds of beauty cosmetics for 40-50 years, the “cocktail” of dangerous substances will be so concentrated that it is not surprising that various tumors and diseases will appear.

Disadvantages of Methylparaben that are genuine:

• The effect of ultraviolet rays is enhanced. This reaction will certainly contribute to rapid aging of the skin. At the same time, cosmetics may contain UVB filters, which provide protection.
• Cases of allergic reactions have been recorded. But this can happen even with the safest product, it all depends on individual intolerance.

How can I replace methylparaben?

In the modern world, more than one major company is engaged in laboratory research to replace methylparaben and many other parabens. But to date, no worthy alternative has been invented.

The most important advantage of paraben is the ability to prevent the development of bacteria. Many components that could replace this additive have a number of disadvantages. For example, essential oil or alcohol will dry out the skin, so allergies are guaranteed.

It is not possible to produce cosmetics without the addition of parabens, in particular methylparaben. Therefore, there is only one way out, to invent a completely new technology for both the production and preservation of cosmetics. In this case, all stages of production should be taken into account, from the production of esters to the creation of a finished product. But it is unlikely that any company, even the most serious one, will take such a step.

To carry out such production, huge investments will be required. But only in this case is success guaranteed. Interest in high-quality products, with natural ingredients and without preservatives or parabens, is growing every year. Over the past year, it has risen by almost 20% compared to the previous year.

If you are still confused by the presence of methylparabens in cosmetics, you can use products based on herbal ingredients, but just keep in mind that they can be stored for no more than two weeks and only in the refrigerator. Not everyone will agree to this, and it is not at all possible to do without cosmetics. What to do? What should I do? How to minimize exposure to harmful substances? There is only one way out of the situation - to minimize the use of cosmetics. Here are some tips to achieve this goal:

• Carefully study the composition of the product you want to buy. The amount of chemical components should be minimal.
• If a sufficiently long shelf life is indicated, then there is more than enough chemicals in the product.
• The order of the components in the composition is not written by chance. The first places are occupied by the main components, which are considered the basis of the product. What is listed at the very bottom will be contained in small quantities. Read this information before making a purchase - it is important.
• If there is no need, refuse to use cosmetics, for example, if you have a day off and plan to spend it watching a movie, then there is no need to wear makeup.
• As soon as you get home, first of all, try to wash off your makeup and deodorant from your body.
• Under no circumstances should you go to bed with makeup on; even without chemicals, it is still harmful. By the way, both expensive professional cosmetics and cheap ones both contain methylparabens, only in different quantities. By and large, dermatologists allow you to sleep with makeup, but only in rare cases. The same applies to antiperspirant (only 100% natural).

On a note! Methylparabens are rarely found in antiperspirant sprays, due to hermetically sealed sealing. Deo sticks contain a high concentration of parabens, while roll-on deodorants have an intermediate concentration.

Be careful when choosing cosmetics - take care of your health!

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Recently, many well-known scientists have expressed the opinion that parabens in cosmetics are harmful, but there is no way to ban their use at the legislative level. Large cosmetic companies are trying to solve this problem on their own and are gradually eliminating the use of preservatives in their products.

So what is it really dangerous or just a hyped topic for discussion?

Parabens are called parabens, which, due to their properties, prevent the premature appearance of fungi and bacteria. They are used not only in cosmetics, but also in the food and medical industries. Some parabens are even found in nature, but parabens in cosmetics are synthetic products.

In many developed countries, the amount of parabens in cosmetics is strictly regulated. For example, parabens such as propyl-methyl-, butyl-, ethylparabens and their various isoforms are allowed in quantities of no more than 0.4% and must be the only paraben in the product. If a mixture of parabens is used, its concentration should not exceed 0.8%. There is an opinion among some experts that usually about 0.2% of them in cosmetics is quite enough.

What is the danger of parabens?

In the last few years, there has been increasing speculation that they are endocrine disruptors. In this regard, in Europe it was decided that propylparaben in cosmetics should be used less frequently, its permissible concentration should be halved, the same requirement applies to butylparabens.

Parabens have an estrogenic effect. Therefore, the use of products in which they are present should be limited to people who have contraindications to the use of estrogen. Pregnant women should be especially careful, as excess estrogen can negatively affect the outcome of pregnancy.

Some scientists refute this statement and prove that only substances that enter the human body with food have an effect, and essential parabens are harmless.

With constant consumption of prabens, they accumulate in the body, which can contribute to the development of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer in women and testicular cancer in men. But this is just the opinion of scientists; so far, a direct investigative link between the use of parabens in both food and cosmetics and the occurrence of cancer has not been established.

Parabens in cosmetics can slightly increase the negative effects of the sun. Products that contain methylparaben, when applied to the skin, can cause it and even cause DNA damage. This occurs due to the reaction of methylparaben with Also applied products that contain propyl and methyl parbenes can cause various skin irritations and even contact dermatitis, as well as allergic reactions.

But you shouldn’t immediately stop using products that contain parabens. All the above data are only the opinion of experts, but there is no scientific confirmation or, conversely, refutation of them yet.

According to official science, parabens are almost non-toxic and are quickly eliminated from the body. For healthy people they are harmless and only in very rare cases can they cause a paraben allergy. For such people, paraben-free creams are available.

Despite all this, parabens in cosmetics ensure long-term storage without compromising its properties and qualities.

They are present in almost all cosmetics, as well as many foods and medications. Since it is now almost impossible to do without the use of preservatives, scientists are constantly looking for an alternative to parabens. But while it is not there, developments are underway to create a preservative based on plant raw materials.

Parabens are one of the most common preservatives in the cosmetics industry today. However, leading manufacturers are increasingly removing them from their products due to growing evidence of their harm to humans. The time has come for us, ordinary consumers, to think about excluding such creams and gels from our cosmetic bags.

Where does the threat lie?

Parabens are preservatives, without which harmful microorganisms will appear in any tube in a matter of days, and it will become unsuitable for use. Shampoos, shaving gels, toothpastes, soaps, deodorants, skin creams, lotions and tonics, decorative cosmetics - this is not a complete list. Open your bathroom cabinet: almost all cosmetic products that we use daily contain parabens today.

Why are parabens dangerous?

Despite the fact that the content of parabens in cosmetics is regulated by law and does not exceed values ​​safe for humans, the main threat of parabens is that they tend to accumulate in the body and have a long decay period: only 30% of the weakest class of parabens is destroyed per day. Combined with their almost daily use, this turns into a time bomb.

Having reached a critical mass, they begin to adversely affect human health:

Parabens are similar in action to estrogens and can cause various disorders of the reproductive system. First of all, this is dangerous for pregnant women, as it can cause pathology in the reproductive function of the unborn child.

According to scientists, parabens can disrupt hormonal balance and contribute to the development of breast, ovarian, uterine, and testicular cancer in men. Due to the relationship with breast cancer, there has been extensive debate, particularly regarding the presence of parabens in deodorants.

When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, parabens accelerate the aging process of the skin and even damage DNA, which can provoke skin cancer. This makes parabens not the best allies for sunscreens.

Allergies are another potential danger. When used externally, parabens can cause allergic contact dermatitis and other irritations in people with sensitive skin.

How to recognize the enemy?

We carefully study the composition. If you see methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, benzylparaben and their sodium salts on the packaging, it means that the tube you like contains a potentially dangerous substance.

We are looking for the “paraben-free” icon. Manufacturers who have taken care of replacing parabens with a safe component usually try to include this information on the packaging.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

Despite the fact that there is no way to use preservatives in cosmetics, a responsible manufacturer can replace parabens with another component that will perform the same function. It is better if it is not an artificial, but a natural preservative, for example, essential oils, extracts of various plants, propolis or even seaweed. Each manufacturer chooses its own formula. Now on our market you can find paraben-free cosmetics from both foreign and Russian manufacturers, including those certified according to the international environmental standard Ecocert, such as the specialized “RIZA” products from the Skincare company. It is only important to take time to protect your health and beauty and carefully study the composition.

Continuing the topic of chemical additives to shampoos, I cannot ignore one more “villain”. We will talk about parabens, which are present in almost any cosmetics. Perhaps they occupy second place in the ranking of “harmfulness” and controversy after sulfates. Is this component really dangerous for humans, and is it necessary to buy paraben-free shampoo? Let's figure it out.

Parabens in shampoos: what are they and why?

Parabens are esters of a single acid with an unpronounceable name (in other words, para-hydroxybenzoic). Today they are used as an effective and most common preservative in the production of cosmetics, medicines, and food products. Parabens protect products from bacteria, fungi and mold, which tend to settle in a delicious jar of cream or a cozy shampoo bottle. It turns out that the use of these components greatly simplifies life for both manufacturers and consumers. Parabens perform the following functions:

• ensure product hygiene;
• significantly extend shelf life;
• maintain consistency, protecting products from delamination.

Parabens were not invented by chemists, but by nature - they are found in plants and berries: cranberries, blueberries, lingonberries. However, their synthesis from natural products is too expensive, so people have been producing a synthetic analogue for a long time. Equally effective, but cheap and potentially dangerous.

Harmful parabens: myths and reality

For more than 400 years, parabens have been used in industry as preservatives, but only recently a cloud of doubts, scary theories and myths have appeared around them. I will give the most popular arguments of those who are against the broadcasts we are discussing.

1. Parabens cause breast cancer. Indeed, in 2003, scientists published terrifying statistics - in 18 out of 20 cases of tumors, a high concentration of parabens was found in the cells. Supporters of the preservative refuted such a statement: what kind of statistics are these if only 20 samples were examined! Not enough for a population of millions. In general, this fact was refuted, but consumers still had a bad taste.
2. Parabens contribute to excessive production of female hormones c – estrogens. This is no longer a myth, but a reality. But many cosmetic additives, including natural ones, “sin” like this.
3. Parabens are inherited. This assumption was put forward by scientists who conducted experiments on animals. To which paraben advocates responded: “You are bad people, experimenting on our little brothers. The preservative does not accumulate, but is quickly eliminated by the body. Proven!.

Opponents nevertheless came to a compromise - parabens can be used in production, but only a little. So certified cosmetics are safe for health. Buy it from reliable sellers.

How to find parabens in your shampoo?

The most outspoken manufacturers practically do not disguise the preservative from their customers. In their products you will find words ending in “-paraben” or paraben. The most common esters found in shampoos are the following (listed in order of health hazard):

• butyl;
• isobutyl;
• drank;
• ethyl;
• methyl.

Parabens are often encrypted with numerical values: E218, E214, E216. You've probably seen them in this form on the labels of purchased yoghurts, sausages and other products. The preservative also has more intricate synonyms; you will have to remember or write them down. For example: metagin, arahydroxybenzoate, oxybenzoic And hydroxybenzoic acids, RHB.

Paraben-free shampoos

Nature has given us many preservatives: vitamins C and E, extracts of propolis, seaweed and many other products. They are safe, effective, affordable, but short-lived - cosmetics with such additives will not last longer than 3 weeks. And only if it is in the refrigerator. For obvious reasons, shampoo manufacturers strive for greater practicality when preserving their cosmetics. But not everyone uses parabens. That is why on some bottles we can see the inscription “Does not contain parabens” and at the same time a decent shelf life (up to 2 years).

Of course, I became curious what paraben-free shampoos Korean and Japanese manufacturers have. The following brands produce organic hair products especially for opponents of preservatives:

• Real ( shampoo without additives);
• Kurobara ( shampoo with organ oil);
• Ormonika ( organic shampoo);
• La Miso ( shampoo for volume and hair growth);
• Gain Cosmetic ( universal shampoo for scalp and body).

What do manufacturers replace parabens with? Here are the most common analogues: diazolidinyl urea(diazolidinyl urea), sodium benzoate(sodium benzoate), potassium sorbate(potassium sorbate). In addition, sorbic and salicylic acids, essential oils, and ethyl alcohol are used. Like parabens, these products have excellent disinfectant properties. But that doesn't mean they are safer or better. Alcohol, for example, dries out the skin greatly. And essential oils can cause allergies.

Let's sum it up

Synthetic parabens in shampoo play an important role. They have advantages that you can’t argue with - they are cheap, extend the shelf life of products, and maintain their hygiene. In addition, they rarely cause allergies, which cannot be said about natural preservatives. It is almost impossible to refuse them.

Of course, you can completely switch to organic or homemade cosmetics, but even such a radical approach will not eliminate possible risks and difficulties. The best option is to minimize cosmetics containing parabens. And indeed any chemical additives. Then you won’t have to worry about their share in your favorite shampoo. The main thing is not to worry about controversial debates between scientists. Because nerve cells definitely don’t recover!

Nastya Vorobyova was with you. And you, dear blog visitors, be vigilant and not suspicious! =)