The Truth about Parabens

Check the label on your lotion bottle today. Did you find an ingredient ending with paraben. This notorious ingredient is prevalent in many store bought skin care products.

What are Parabens? Parabens are commonly used as a preservative by large scale manufacturing companies because it is inexpensive and easily available. Manufactured in a chemical lab this ingredient has an extremely high rate of preserving formulations.

No doubt, parabens are very effective preservatives being able to sustain the preservation of cosmetic skin care formulations for years and are a highly effective guard against microbial and bacterial activity. The downside of parabens is they are extremely harsh, have been found to be carcinogenic and can cause hormone disruptions, which is true of many skin care ingredients. However, unlike the other ingredients, Parabens have become a villanous ingredient and have been banned in the U.K. There is also some talk about it contributing to the aging process. Studies are on-going.

So why do skin care and cosmetics companies continue to use parabens? Because as I said they are cheap and for the most part your health is not important to the giant firms, however your money is. If the products last on the store shelves there is no loss due to spoilage. So what if it causes you cancer. It doesn't affect their profit margins negatively. That's something that could potentially happen to you down the road and it's a link that's hard to prove. So big deal. They continue to put this ingredient into their products.

Thankfully there are alternatives. Many up and coming natural skin care manufacturers use a variety of preservation techniques including the use of grapefruit seed extract, which when used properly and in the right percentages are very effective.

A new technology in natural perservation employs the use of hurdle technology with naturally derived ingredients. Hurdle technology is exactly what it sounds like - a hurdle - that makes it difficult for microbes and bacteria to overcome.

The majority of natural preservatives do not allow the product to last indefinitely the way parabens do, but they are a healthier alternative.

What is paramount is that an effective perservation system much be employed, for your health and safety, but one that does not cause you health related issues in years to come.

If your health is important to you then review the ingredients in the products you use and look for healthy natural alternatives. Only you can choose for yourself. Choose wisely.

For more information on natural skin care ingredients and alternatives check http://www.sheallnaturalskincare.com/