Even if the evidence is too inconclusive for parabens to be banned in the United States, there’s still a lot you can do to limit your exposure to these chemicals if you’re concerned and want to minimize your potential risk.
The best thing you can do is scrutinize product labels, says Homer Swei, PhD, the senior vice president for healthy living science at the Environmental Working Group, a consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. What can make this easier is more and more brands are offering cosmetics and personal-care products labeled as paraben-free.
Some parabens — like butylparaben and propylparaben — are more likely to cause health risks because they’re what’s known as “long chain parabens,” that are more likely to interfere with the body’s hormone system, Dr. Swei says. Other so-called “short-chain” parabens like methylparaben and ethylparaben are less likely to disrupt hormone function.
“So for consumers looking to minimize exposures, start by reviewing product labels and avoiding butyl and propylparaben preservatives,” Swei advises. You can also search the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database to search for verified paraben-free products.
One thing you don’t want to do is assume something labeled as “clean” or “natural” is paraben-free, Blyumin-Karasik cautions. Same goes with “organic,” which is not a fully regulated term when it comes to personal-care products, and may simply be used for marketing, per the USDA and FDA. (If a food item, on the other hand, has a USDA organic label, rest assured it is considered organic under that agency’s definition.) You should still read the labels, and make sure if it says it’s paraben-free that no type of paraben is on the ingredient list.
Beyond this, you may want to be especially careful if you’re at stages in your life when parabens might have the most impact on your health — like when you’re trying to conceive, Swei adds.
