How bad are parabens, really?

[Laylah]

So I've heard there's a chance they cause breast cancer. I also see a lot of products that are marketed stating "no parabens"- and there's a lot of shunning them among the online community.

Then again, I've heard that this is all hype and that in the concentrations used in hair products, that they aren't harmful.

What do you think?

[motormuffin]

Well, they are linked to breast cancer because they are accused of affecting your hormones. While the jury is out, I try to choose products without them since there are so many good things available.

[hennaphile]

There is decent evidence suggesting that they are endicrine disruptors. In what amounts and in what manner they need to be ingested, we may never know. I try to avoid them, but sometimes that can be really difficult.

[Stormsong]

I'm sure I've seen literature that parabens accumulate in the body, so it's not just a case of it being low levels in the products, it's more that they are in so many products that we all use and they accumulate in breast tissue. So if you use make up, you'll probably find them in that too.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that if you can avoid it, why not?

[julliams]

Stormsong - your growth rate is amazing - all that in one year. Are you an inch a month or more?

Juliette

[Carolyn]

Honestly, I don't even consider parabens when making product choices :shrug:

[Stormsong]

Not an inch a month, but a little over half an inch a month on average. Looks more because of the 'bounce' in the sept 08 pic compared with my more normal straight in sept 09 (June 09 has the bun wave effect).