Sunday, November 15, 2009

Are Paraben Free Anti Aging Moisturizers The Way To Go?

By Peter Geraldson

The market for paraben free anti aging products, paraben free skin care products and paraben free cosmetics is growing faster and faster. What exactly are parabens and why should you choose a paraben free anti aging moisturizer?

Parabens are chemicals that are found in many of the personal products that so many of us use today. They are actually a range of chemicals rather than one particular chemical.

They are used in these products as preservatives. They work well as preservatives and they are exceptionally cheap, there are more natural alternatives but these are much more expensive. But there is some concern raised about whether parabens used as preservatives in so many of our personal products can damage the health of the user.

There are studies which have linked parabens in personal products to breast cancer for example. One study found that' out of 20 breast cancer tissue samples tested contained parabens in them. Whilst the fact that these cancer tissue samples contain parabens is not proof that parabens caused the cancer it is certainly something that makes you wonder. However to date there are no conclusive studies proving that parabens causes cancer or other human diseases.

It is well known that parabens in personal products such as skin care products, when applied to the skin, will immediately penetrate the skin and can be found in the blood within a matter of hours. So clearly parabens penetrate our bodies and enter our bloodstream and this is also of concern.

And it has also been discovered that some parabens can mimic the action of estrogen, a female hormone. Again this doesn't provide proof that parabens are dangerous but is certainly worrying.

You may have heard of the precautionary principle which says, in these situations, the presumption ought be made that the ingredient cannot be used until proven safe. However the current situation is that these ingredients continue to be used until they are proven to be unsafe. The precautionary principle argues otherwise.

You can see good reasons why people search for such products as paraben free anti aging moisturizers and paraben free cosmetics. There are excellent paraben free alternatives which use natural preservatives which work well and which are not toxic.

There is raging debate about the safety of parabens in our personal products and although it's not entirely clear that parabens are dangerous it does seem questionable and to this reason many are choosing to go paraben free. However of course the choice is yours alone.

There are small companies who have made the decision to avoid using parabens in all their products and to produce skin care and anti-aging products that are completely free of any chemicals known or suspected to cause health damage. In fact what I consider to be the worlds best anti aging moisturizers and skin care products are entirely paraben free.

I try to educate consumers about the dangers of so many ingredients found in so many of our personal products such as anti aging products. I do this on my website where I also point out the alternatives for excellent quality paraben free anti aging skin care products. Find out more on my website. - 14130

About the Author:

No comments: