Parabens – it's Personal

I'm still unhappy about, unsatisfied with, angry about, seething over the raw deal parabens have gotten in the press and media over the past years. My husband can attest to how much louder than the TV I get every time an advertisement for any cosmetic uses the phrase 'paraben-free' as part of their sales pitch.

But.

I'm not going to lecture you about parabens today.

I just thought I'd tell you that I thoroughly trust and use paraben preservatives in many of the products I make for myself – like the mascara-to-be you see above.

If you're gasping in astonishment, then you're either new to this blog or have skipped past my previous posts on parabens.

Do The Reasearch! Oh, Wait, I Did

If you're curious to know a bit about parabens you may want to read any of these posts (as well as the sources of information and documentation many of them have links to).
Polyparaben - the Most Dangerous of Them All
Are Parabens a Lost Cause?
Paraben Party Time
Dealing With Misinformed People in Higher Authority
Why is Being in Charge More Important Than getting The Facts Right?
Preservatives in Cosmetics - Who Needs Them?
Shaving Cream and Parabens - Is that OK?
Parabens Come From Plants
The Nordic Swan Label - Can it Be Trusted?

Too Much Info? Here's the Condensed Version

FACT: There are several parabens - a couple of which are undergoing study (again) at this time
FACT: paraben preservatives have been around for over 80 years
FACT: paraben preservatives are approved for use in food and cosmetics
FACT: only approved parabens are on the market
FACT: parabens do not cause allergies
FACT: parabens are not carcenogenic
FACT: parabens don't even come close to being a health risk


OPINION: Any company choosing to advertise their product as paraben free is feeding unecessary fear in consumers and should be slapped with wet newspapers once a day and twice on Saturdays for being so thoroughly sleazy and unethical.

OPINION: Any government or governmental advisory agency that allows fearmongers to dictate official policy should be slapped with wet newspapers AND wet noodles twice a day until they publicly apologize and stop being so shamefully spineless.

That wasn't a lecture, was it?

Comments

Yay! Thank you, Lise! We need more evidence based posts about parabens instead of the fear mongering we generally see! I wrote a post on parabens this morning. I guess great minds think alike! Ha ha ha!
LisaLise said…
Thank you Susan, This is one fight I don't intend to let up on. You can forgive ignorance, but deliberate misinformation really gets my knickers in a twist. (and I agree with you about the great minds!)
Alex said…
completely agree! i get SO annoyed when people (especially those in the blogging/youtube community who have so much influence) tell people that they are allergic to parabens and how bad they are. how can u even figure out what you are allergic to in a store-bought product?? i'm soo with you on the wet newspaper slapping! (that part made me literally LOL)
LisaLise said…
Thank you Alex. :)
Rebekah Osorio said…
Lise - Which parabens do you use in your products?
LisaLise said…
Hi Rebekah - When I use parabens, it is as a cocktail mix consisting of ethylparaben and methylparaben mixed with phenoexethynol. Propylparaben has found its way into my products as well, but as of late, the above mentioned mix is my preferred.