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Why use parabens?

There are several products I was interested in acquiring, but did not based on seeing parabens listed in their ingredients list. Why are some large shaving companies still using them? Examples include Castle Forbes pre shave, Trumpers creams, and Myrsol aftershave emulsion.

I am no health nut, and maybe it's societal and not all based on fact. But parabens are a red flag to me and I would say a large group of consumers. Why still use parabens if there are safer/less taboo preservative alternatives?
 
There are several products I was interested in acquiring, but did not based on seeing parabens listed in their ingredients list. Why are some large shaving companies still using them? Examples include Castle Forbes pre shave, Trumpers creams, and Myrsol aftershave emulsion.

I am no health nut, and maybe it's societal and not all based on fact. But parabens are a red flag to me and I would say a large group of consumers. Why still use parabens if there are safer/less taboo preservative alternatives?
Ask a toxicologist and he will say "the dosage is the poison". IOW, toxicity is related to the concentration of a substance that you actually receive.

Preservatives might be preserving you. :laugh:
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
There is no proof whatsoever that parabens cause any problems. The panicky minority have taken a flawed study which showed the presence of parabens in tissue samples from patients with breast cancer, but there has been no causation link whatsoever. There was no study done to determine if parabens were present in tissue of non-cancer patients, or if parabens actually cause a problem. Just that they were present.
Everyone is all gung-ho on "natural" ingredients, and here's a fine example of pseudo-science destroying the use of a perfectly good natural preservative due to fear mongering.
Parabens are naturally occurring. Blueberries are LOADED with parabens.

Now, if you are taking 10,000 times the normal daily dose of ANY material and injecting it directly under the skin of rats, you might have some issues develop. My suggestion: Don't inject 10,000 times the amount of shaving cream you use every day under your skin.

 
Many products are mass produced assuming worldwide distribution. Those products might be transported on a ship, sit in a warehouse before delivery to a distributor, sit on the distributors shelves for months before you receive it. The manufacturer has no control over the storage conditions to which that product might be exposed before the intended customer purchases the product. Thus, products in that supply chain often contain preservatives to make sure the product arrives at its final destination in good condition. Parabens is one of the commonly used preservatives.

Many shaving soaps are produced in small to medium size batches and are either shipped directly to the consumer or to a distributor who specializes in shaving supplies and knows proper storage conditions for shaving soaps. Some of these soaps do contain preservatives, but it is unusual for parabens to be used in these artisan soaps. Many artisans are striving for the most skin-friendly ingredients possible, so they avoid the use of parabens.

In the EU, several parabens are banned outright and others are strictly regulated. It is my understanding that these restrictions are based on laboratory testing on animals rather than testing on humans. In laboratory animals parabens can disrupt the endocrine system. In the USA, the FDA has not banned parabens as they have no evidence that levels used in cosmetics are harmful to humans. However, since paraben-free products are available, you can make your own determination.

That being said, I have a very large collection of soaps. I have had some of them for over six years. Some of those soaps have begun dry up over that time and fragrances have diminished in strength, but I have yet to have a soap spoil such that it cannot be used. Harder tallow soaps can last for decades.
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
This is the list of parabens that are NOT PERMITTED in EU Cosmetics:
Isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, pentylparaben, benzylparaben, phenylparaben

This is the list of parabens that ARE ALLOWED in EU Cosmetics:
methylparaben, butylparaben, potassium ethylparaben, potassium paraben, propylparaben, sodium methylparaben, sodium ethylparaben, sodium propylparaben, sodium butylparaben, ethylparaben, sodium paraben, potassium methylparaben, potassium butylparaben, potassium propylparaben, sodium propylparaben, calcium paraben

Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 updated Annex II and Annex V March 1, 2022.
 
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This is the list of parabens that are NOT PERMITTED in EU Cosmetics:
Isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, pentylparaben, benzylparaben, phenylparaben

This is the list of parabens that ARE ALLOWED in EU Cosmetics:
methylparaben, butylparaben, potassium ethylparaben, potassium paraben, propylparaben, sodium methylparaben, sodium ethylparaben, sodium propylparaben, sodium butylparaben, ethylparaben, sodium paraben, potassium methylparaben, potassium butylparaben, potassium propylparaben, sodium propylparaben, calcium paraben

Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 updated Annex II and Annex V March 1, 2022.
I did not know this, thanks for sharing! I wonder what differentiates the different types, and why some are allowed and some aren't.
 
I did not know this, thanks for sharing! I wonder what differentiates the different types, and why some are allowed and some aren't.

I presume that laboratory testing showed certain parabens to be more harmful than others.

For those of you with an interest in organic chemistry who might want to understand why there might be a difference, keep reading.

If you look at the list, the ones that are banned have more complex chemical structures with respect to the hydrocarbon structure. Isobutyl paraben is banned whereas butyl paraben is not. Isopropyl paraben is banned whereas propyl paraben is not. The "iso" versions are isomers of the of the normal versions. They have the same chemical formula, but different spatial orientation of the atoms. That can affect the biological properties of the compound.

Pentylparaben with 5 carbon atoms has a longer hydrocarbon chain length than either methyl, ethyl, butyl or propyl chains with 1,2,3 and 4 carbon atoms, respectively.

Benzylparaben and Phenolparaben are aromatic compounds with cyclic hydrocarbon structures called benzene rings rather than straight chains. The benzene rings contain 6 carbon atoms. Benzene exposure has been shown to cause cancer, so its derivatives are suspect.
 
I presume that laboratory testing showed certain parabens to be more harmful than others.

For those of you with an interest in organic chemistry who might want to understand why there might be a difference, keep reading.

If you look at the list, the ones that are banned have more complex chemical structures with respect to the hydrocarbon structure. Isobutyl paraben is banned whereas butyl paraben is not. Isopropyl paraben is banned whereas propyl paraben is not. The "iso" versions are isomers of the of the normal versions. They have the same chemical formula, but different spatial orientation of the atoms. That can affect the biological properties of the compound.

Pentylparaben with 5 carbon atoms has a longer hydrocarbon chain length than either methyl, ethyl, butyl or propyl chains with 1,2,3 and 4 carbon atoms, respectively.

Benzylparaben and Phenolparaben are aromatic compounds with cyclic hydrocarbon structures called benzene rings rather than straight chains. The benzene rings contain 6 carbon atoms. Benzene exposure has been shown to cause cancer, so its derivatives are suspect.
Thanks for the detailed explanation and the ochem flashbacks!
 
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