Parabens: What Are The Risks?

Much has been said recently about the dangers of parabens. So what is all the fuss about and is it really important?

Well straight away it needs to be pointed out that SunFX products contain NO Parabens. As a company we have some serious doubts about parabens and therefore decided that we would never use parabens in our products.

So what are parabens you might ask?

Parabens are preservatives that are extensively used in many cosmetics and beauty products. They have been around for many years, but it has only been fairly recently that people have started to take notice of them.

There has been little hard evidence to prove any of the theories that have been tossed around in relation to parabens. Whilst there are suspicions, not enough scientific studies have been done to prove any of them conclusively. Therefore comments made in this article should only be taken as observations and opinions, not as hard evidence one way or the other.

That being said, there is a growing suspicion in the scientific community that products containing parabens may indeed have an adverse effect on our health. This is mainly due to the fact that parabens are considered to be estrogenic, meaning that they can behave like estrogens, or can be mistaken by the body to actually be estrogens. Excessive estrogen build up can result in fluid retention and weight gain, but more significantly, they can also interfere with the hormonal system.

This disruption to the hormonal system is thought to impact adversely on fertility, particularly amongst developing male foetuses when paraben rich cosmetics are used by pregnant mothers. There is also some suspicion that parabens may in the future be found to cause some forms of cancer, in particular breast cancer.

Parabens have also been suspected of causing allergic reactions and possibly even dermatitis. It is often recommended that people with particularly sensitive skin should avoid using any products that contain parabens.

So whilst currently there seems to be a lack of scientific evidence to fully support these theories, at SunFX we don’t believe that it’s worth taking any chances. For that reason, we are committed to not using parabens in our products. Of course this benefits your business, particularly as consumers become more aware of the potential risks of parabens. By stocking SunFX products, you can safely tell your clients that the SunFX products that they are purchasing from you are free from parabens.