Parabens 101: Part 1 - What are they? In this video I explain why we see parabens in many of our personal care and food products. The amount of parabens allowed in personal care products is limited in Europe and Canada, but the US has not yet caught up.
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I went into a rabbit hole to teach myself, and now all of you, what parabens really are and why there is a hot debate over them in the first place. So high level - what are parabens and why might we want to avoid them?
Walk into any drug store, pick up a bottle of shampoo, a tube of toothpaste, a jar of moisturizer, and there's a very good chance you'll find parabens on the label.
Commercial parabens are synthetically produced alkyl esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid, and they have been used as preservatives in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food since the 1920s. Their appeal to manufacturers is simple: they are cheap, stable, highly effective against bacteria and fungi, and they extend product shelf life dramatically, up to five or even ten years.
In the EU, parabens may also be labelled with E-numbers when used in food products. Here are common parabens you may see on your toothpaste labels and other products:
- Methylparaben (E218)
- Propylparaben (E216)
- Ethylparaben (E214)
- Butylparaben
- Benzylparaben
- Heptylparaben (E209)
In short, parabens exist for one reason: to keep products shelf-stable and microbe-free.
Now, there are limits to the amount of these additives used in food and cosmetics in Canada and the E.U. Europe has more restrictions, for example butylparaben cannot be used in products for babies and toddlers at all.
The core reason for the limitations on parabens are concerns over endocrine disruption and cancers. See our additional articles to learn more about endocrine-disrupting chemicals and the link between parabens and cancer.