Paraben Panic

Lately I've come across a heap of products that claim to be 'paraben free'. So it got me thinking:

1. What in God's name are parabens?                    
2. Why are some products free of them?
3. Should I chuck all my other products that contain parabens?

After much research (i.e. Googling) parabens are basically chemicals that are used as preservatives in a range of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products from shampoos and moisturisers to make-up and shaving gels.

The sudden prohibition on parabens stems from the fact that some have been found (in extremely low concentrations) in breast cancer tumors. Also, some parabens have the ability to mimic estrogen, a hormone known to play a role in the development of breast cancer. Please don't panic though - there has been no sustainable evidence found that links parabens and cancer with many studies proving that parabens are practically non-toxic. Despite this many would agree that further research into the safety of parabens is needed.

For those of us still a bit sceptical over the use of parabens fortunately there are a wealth of paraben free products on the market. La Roche Posay, Vichy, Burts Bees and Origins are just some of the mega-skincare brands offering paraben free products. If in doubt http://www.paraben-free-skincare.com/ is a good resource for all things paraben related.