Parabens

Parabens are tricky. They are in some of our favorite products (including the most delicious baby shampoo on the market), they are mild preservatives that work incredibly well, and the scientific community is somewhat divided as to whether parabens, to the extent used in consumer products, pose a real danger to humans.

Still, for us at Dapple there is one clear and overriding mandate: Keep it Baby Safe. If there is even a small chance that an ingredient could prove dangerous for our babies or yours … we stay far away from it. So we formulated all our products without using parabens.

Here is some background information on parabens so you can make up your own mind:
Parabens are a class of chemicals that are widely used as preservatives in cosmetics and other personal care products. "Parabens inhibit the growth of bacteria, yeasts and molds in personal-care products such as shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and sunscreens." (Chicago Tribune, 9/4/07)

Parabens are so commonly used that they appear in 25,000 of the cosmetics and skincare products documented by the Environmental Working Group!

Now, some studies have shown that parabens can mimic the activity of estrogen in the body's cells and estrogenic activity in the body is associated with certain forms of breast cancer. In a study conducted by the University of Reading, parabens were found in 18 of 20 breast cancer tumors studied. A recent Danish study showed that when parabens are applied as a cream to the backs of healthy male volunteers, the chemicals can be measured in the blood within hours. This demonstrate that parabens do penetrate the human skin intact. While there is no conclusive evidence that parabens cause cancer, and the FDA does not ban its usage, some of the research is disconcerting.

Here are some more articles about parabens and their possible consequences:

New Scientist

Web MD

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Chicago Tribune

Dr. Weil

Parabens are easy to spot on a label. They are listed as one of four indgredients: methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, or butylparaben.

If you have a question regarding a certain product, you may want to try their customer support line, they are often very helpful. They can direct you as to whether their product contains any parabens.