The use of cosmetics containing butylparaben during pregnancy may be linked to an increased risk of children becoming obese, according to new research. Parabens are a group of chemicals widely used as artificial preservatives in cosmetic and body care products since the 1920s.
Since cosmetics contain ingredients that can biodegrade, these chemicals are added to prevent and reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and mold, increasing the shelf life of the product. The concern with these chemicals is that scientific studies suggest that parabens can disrupt hormones in the body and harm fertility and reproductive organs, affect birth outcomes, and increase the risk of cancer. They can also cause skin irritation.
Parabens are used in a wide variety of leave-on and rinse-off products, especially those with a high water content, such as shampoos and conditioners, which people use every day. Their antimicrobial properties are most effective against fungi and gram positive bacteria. Moisturizers, face and skin cleaners, sunscreens, deodorants, shaving gels, toothpastes, makeup and many other products contain parabens. They are absorbed into the body through the skin, metabolized and excreted in urine and bile. However, daily use of a product or multiple products containing parabens results in direct and continuous exposure, as indicated by nearly ubiquitous detection in biomonitoring surveys.
Personal care products are the greatest contributors to paraben exposure, as seen in studies comparing paraben levels in the bodies of women, men, adolescents and children who regularly use cosmetics and those who do not. Adolescent girls who wear makeup every day had 20 times the levels of propylparaben in their urine compared to those who never or rarely wear makeup. The use of body and face lotions, hair products, sunscreens and makeup have all been predictors of and correlated with remarkably increased levels of urinary parabens.
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