By: Meaghan Orellana, Nutrition and Dietetics Student
What are Parabens and Phthalates?
Parabens and Phthalates are synthetic chemicals used in many products we use on a daily basis. Parabens are used to prolong shelf life of products by preventing and reducing the growth of harmful bacteria. Phthalates are used as in plastics and to carry fragrances in products.
Parabens
The concerns parabens pose on our health is the disruption of our hormone balance. These chemicals are found in many body care products such as lotion, deodorant, face and body wash, shampoo and conditioner as well as many cosmetic products and detergents. This allows the chemical to be absorbed into the body through the skin multiple times a day with regular use of these products. The body combats this exposure by metabolizing the chemical in the liver and skin and excreting it as waste. However, the continuous use of these products on a daily basis can leave us continuously exposed.
Parabens affect our body by disrupting our hormone balance. It acts like estrogen disrupting the normal balance and function in our body. This can affect fertility in both men and women, birth outcomes, skin irritation, and increase risk of cancer.
Products containing parabens can be easily identified by reading the ingredients list. This will be listed in its complicated chemical name, a prefix followed by paraben. Look out for methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, isopropyl-, butyl, and isobutyl- parabens.
Phthalates
The concerns associated with phthalates in our products is also due to its ability to disrupt our hormone balance. We find phthalates in many products including personal care products, cosmetics, menstrual pads, diapers, detergents, deodorant, vinyl, food packaging, kitchen plastics such as food containers and air fresheners.
This chemical can increase or decrease production of hormones and interferes with hormone signaling. This can lead to changes in fertility, early puberty in children, obesity, diabetes, and disruption in immune, heart and respiratory health.
Identifying products containing phthalates can be a little trickier than parabens. Phthalates are not directly labeled on products but will more commonly be listed as ‘fragrance’ with out specifying the compounds of the fragrance. However, some products are now labeled ‘no phthalates’ or ‘0% phthalates’. This can be a quick way to identify products with out this chemical.
Limiting Exposure
Eliminating all exposure to these chemicals would be extremely difficult. We can’t control everything we become exposed to, but we can start to eliminate everyday products that contain harmful chemicals. Awareness is a great first step, you can scan your products with the Yuka app (https://yuka.io/en/) or EWG Healthy Living app (https://www.ewg.org/apps/) to get a score of how different products affect your health! Replacing all of your personal care products is very expensive, instead start small by replacing items as they run out with paraben and phthalate free alternatives! Small changes can make a large impact on our health over time. Check out your local small businesses selling natural body care products to support your health and your community!
References:
Evaluation of pollutants in perfumes, colognes and health effects on the consumer: a systematic review. Journal of environmental health science & engineering, 20(1), 589–598. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-021-00783-x
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