Wellness

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Parabens – Why Should I Care?

What exactly are parabens?
Parabens are antimicrobials; preservatives that keep products from going bad quickly and extend shelf life. Parabens are in everything; from cosmetics to foods, parabens are omnipresent. Depending on the material needed to be preserved a different paraben may be used and sometimes more than one is listed in product ingredients. Check out this list of parabens: methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and isobutylparaben, benzylparaben.

What are the Health Risks
Studies have shown that parabens affect hormone/estrogen levels. Right now the main area of concern surrounds the risk of breast cancer. P.D.Darbre’s study found that there were parabens present in the breast cancer tissue. This does not mean that the parabens were what caused the cancer, but it does mean parabens migrate to body tissues and stay there without breaking down.

Our View
Further research is needed to determine the full implications of parabens on human health and cancer risk, but at Jamar Labs we believe that there is no need to expose oneself to unnecessary risks. Until we are presented with solid evidence that there is no potential harm, we choose to manufacture products that do not contain parabens or phathalates.

References
1 - Concentrations of Parabens in Human Breast Tumours. (2004) P. D. Darbre,
A. Aljarrah, W. R. Miller, N. G. Coldham, M. J. Sauer and G. S. Pope. Journal of
Applied Toxicology v.24, i.1, 1jan04