Paraben syndrome

The internet is flashy with beauty formulae. “Mix boiled potatoes with milk and yolk and apply the cocktail to your face for 20 minutes”,- that is the recommendation of the magazine “Eyelashy” to the pounders of delicate skin. The website “Bridy” cracks on and offers to use “your beloved’s ejaculat” as a mask. “Sperm contains 24 biologically active matters, giving your skin elasticity, — the article says. – You should apply the fresh sperm on your face in even layer and wash it off with a hot water in 35 minutes”. Well, let me note, that the psyche of any man’s may not possibly suffer such a punishment – so you may need to search for a substitute to your man after all. The recipe has the right to live, doesn’t it.

The surge of interest to everything natural gave a new birth to folk recipes. Coming back to the home cosmetics is a “supernew phenomenon which has just begun developing”, — a French historian Annick Le Guérer reckons. The underlying reasons of the phenomenon lie in the people’s interest to the beauty aids formulae as well as the philistine fear of the plenty of chemical stuff, enumerated on the packages.

So following the spiral development of the history we are turning back to “prechemical” cosmetics era. The things considered to comprise some vivid advantages have ceased to have ones today. Thirty five years ago Sebastian company added silicon into their shampoos, which was to invest into the hair looking well-groomed straight after washing. “Silicon brightens your hair in a wink, but it takes its toll on their health with the course of time”, — says Opalis brand founder Sophie Quincero. The oil L’Huile as well as conditioning mask La Crème from Opalis include essential oils instead of silicon. “A month in a human life is just nothing! – Sophie reckons. It’s so easy to identify silicon: “You just check the list for the words ending with «-cone», – recommends Sophie.

Laurilsulfate, which has been “foaming” shampoos for a century, has turned out to be not that safe as we assumed: people with hypersensitive skin can get dermatitis because of it. In such shampoos as Caudalie and Leonor Greyl this chemical element is substituted by the foaming components made of herbal marc.

However these “characters” are widely known in charmed circles only. And today these are parabens that are really popular. Well, hardly anybody knows what they are however

Still many people prefer to think that the stuff is a true evil, an evil of a universe scale to be more precise. One of my female friends brings a loupe to Ile de Beauté, this being the only possible way for her to read the contents on the packages. One colleague of mine refused cosmetics with parabens as soon as she had got aware of her pregnancy. And this is only half of the story. Parabens are disputed by feminists, organic cosmetics manufacturers and scientists.

The world got aware of the discussed preservatives from Philippa Darbre, a microbiologist of the Read-ing University. Well, talking legally, in her research she sued parabens for accidental causing heavy harm to health (Article 118, Criminal Code). The scientist found out parabens in the cancer cells in the chest which made her conclude that tumours are mostly caused by deodorands and other cosmetics applied in the area of armpits. The affect of parabens can be compared to that of female hormone estrogens, known as a reason of tumours.

«Ninety years ago when paraben only appeared it was considered to be a hard toxin, being almost able to stiffen a product though, — a Spa-technologist Olga Kozelskaya narrates. – Nowadays the toxicity of the preservative has decreased tenfold. Today the formulae comprise several kinds of parabens which are responsible for different functions. Each of them is added in its minimum quantity”. According to Olga,

the analysis of cosmetics formulae, which she carried out at her University lab classes (Olga has a medical and chemical education), demonstrated surprising results: there turned out to be more parabens in the children’s cream than in Dove body milk.

«Parabens are our friends, — assures Doctor Brown, a plastic surgeon and RéVive brand founder. – They can do no harm being in those minimum quantities they are in cosmetics. On the contrary they do preserve the formulae from bacterium infection”. His labs are not going to search for parabens substitutes, as the scientists are totally satisfied with the preservatives. Hilton Li, RéVive PR vice-president treats the ballyhoo around the issue as a trivial speculation. He is also supported by Maika Kissling, La Prairie Distributors Markets Executive Manager: “Paraben is the safest products preservative system ever known”, — she says. “It’s no use believing we use toxic matters as the EU, the USA and other countries’ law is really strict and never easies up on anything or anybody, — Eric Guris, Clarins Research and Development Division Head holds. – They constitute no health menace being used in approved doses”, — Eric proceeds.

So, “dose” turns out to be the key word. In Mss. Darbr’s research, the results of which were published in Applied Toxicology magazine in January 2004, the scientist looked into the affect of doses, multifold exceeding the norms permissible my all countries’ laws.

The companies, which prefer to design formulae free of parabens go not that by the scientific data, but rather by the public opinion. «Caudalie brand left the disputes to the international organizations

We have just initially made a decision to refuse these preservatives”, — says Caudalie President Regis Coulon. “We are to take into account the disputes on parabens covered in the mass media, — reports Denis Larkman, Decléor Research and Development Division Head. – The consumers’ trust to parabens is undermined. And the industry is to do its best to be able to provide the products satisfying the society demands”. In summer the company launched Hydra Floral Anti-Pollution line. It includes the first ever appeared cosmetics comprising any parabens neither in the initial raw, nor in the final formulae. Clarins company followed the same way. “It’s a difficult thing to fight prejudices — Lionel de Benetti, Clarins Head of Research Laboratories says. – That is the only reason to the fact that parabens will give way to other preservatives, which will be no less safe and effective, in our new developments, however sorry we are to say goodbye to parabens".

Regardless of the tendency to refuse parabens under the pubic opinion influence, 80% of the companies still stay devoted to the time-tested preservative: still he has never failed in the course of decades. Parabens are added into foodstuff even: Е214 — ethylparaben, Е216 – propylparaben, Е218 — methylparaben.

The story about parabens serves as an indicator of the society’s treatment to cosmetics as such. On the one hand people strive for remaining young up till the very end, and they have definite fear for «chemistry» on the other hand. There are people, who prefer to turn off their private chronometer: bioengineered brands synthesize a skin, which is no more connected with time. Others convert to “green” religion: organic cosmetics brings no crucial changes but it’s absolutely safe.

Still let me ask a question. Who told you that the elixir of perpetual youth had an ecological certification?