WHAT ARE PARABENS AND SHOULD WE AVOID THEM?

What are Parabens?

Parabens are a class of synthetic, chemical preservatives praised for their bactericidal and fungicidal properties.

They are inexpensive, extend the shelf-life of products and are widely used in the manufacturing of food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Parabens are NOT found in Nefertem skincare, but are found elsewhere. 

Products commonly containing parabens:

• shampoo
• medication
• skin care products
• cosmetics
• body lotion
• soap
• food
• toothpaste
• deodorant
• and more…

While reading the ingredients, parabens are commonly listed as:

• para-hydroxybenzoic acid
• methylparaben
• ethylparaben
• propylparaben
• butylparaben

Controversy

While the FDA has deemed parabens as “Generally Recognized As Safe” or GRAS, many independent studies have proven otherwise. 

The main argument is that parabens have the ability to mimic the hormone estrogen which causes havoc in females and males, the latter for very obvious reasons.

Parabens have been linked to early puberty in young girls and breast cancer. 

One study done in the UK by Philippa Darbre makes the connection between parabens found in underarm products and the location of most breast cancer tumors.

Darbre states, “"One would expect tumors to occur evenly, with 20 per cent arising in each of the five areas of the breast, but these results help explain why up to 60 per cent of all breast tumours are found in just one-fifth of the breast - the upper-outer quadrant, nearest the underarm."

Shaving cream and deodorant were deemed two of the likely causes in combination with our American habit of underarm shaving. 

Small open sores caused from shaving seem to create a direct route for parabens and other dangerous toxins to travel into our bloodstream and breast tissue.

Should We Avoid Them?

Yes, yes,  yes, we should absolutely avoid parabens. But how? They are everywhere?

Choose companies that commit to using natural ingredients and don't just advertise that they do. 

Turn the labels around and read! 

Reading labels is your best defense against being unknowingly exposed to these dangerous chemicals. 

Not all companies are scrupulous when it comes to saying what they do and doing what they say. Many will use natural-looking label designs while stuffing the product full of artificial ingredients. 

Some will list all the things they don't have in their product like "fragrance-free, SLS free and preservative-free" while still putting parabens, artificial colorants and lab-created surfactants in it. We must read labels AND support companies who are truly natural. 

Leaders in Natural Skin Care

Natural skincare is extremely important to us. After reading the ingredients on countless labels, we grew frustrated seeing parabens and other synthetic ingredients used in supposedly “natural” skincare products. 

So we developed our own.

Nefertem offers 100% pure, natural soaps and moisturizers that harness the power of Nature without any synthetic ingredients, parabens or artificial junk. 

Just pure ingredients made by nature, period! Shop Nefertem Holistic Skincare now.