What are parabens and why does OHA avoid their use?
Parabens (para-hydroxybenzoic acid esters) are a wide spectrum preservative used in cosmetics and some foods. There are various sizes of parabens identified by their prefix. These include the shortest chain methylparaben, ethylparaben, benzylparaben, propylparaben and the longest chain, butylparaben. There has been much controversy surrounding the use of parabens in natural cosmetics. Parabens are known endocrine disrupters, which are chemicals that mimic human estrogen and other hormones, and may disrupt functions in the body controlled by hormones. Parabens are potential allergens and skin sensitizers. A 2004 study connected parabens to breast cancer. Though this study was seriously flawed, it produced enough negative press that many companies began removing parabens from their skin care. Parabens have been retested and are considered safe as used by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review. In the formulation of OHA products, Martha has never used parabens because they are not biologically fa
