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 I soon found myself clacking away at the keyboard, scouring the internet looking for clues. Had we lived too close to power lines? Was there something in our water? While searching for potential causes of breast cancer, I stumbled upon a medical study which had discovered paraben absorption into and storage within the body, specifically in breast tissue. Completely intrigued, I launched a personal crusade of sorts with the local library and internet as my primary weapons of choice. A class of common cosmetic preservatives, parabens are a family of chemicals which prevent microbial growth in personal care products. At one time, it was estimated that 90% of all US cosmetics contained parabens in some form or another. However, this study was the first to call into question their safety and subsequent studies have done little to definitively clear the air. It has since been established that parabens have estrogenic effects on the body, though the potency and duration of these effects are still under investigation. The day I discovered the study, I marched into my bathroom and scrutinized the label of every product in every cabinet and shower stall. From my reading, I knew they’d appear near the bottom of the ingredient list and each one would contain a prefix (methylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben, etc). I was soon aghast and started gathering products into my arms which I planned to discard. After a few more minutes of inspection, my arms were so full that I had to haul the kitchen waste bin into the bathroom and did a near-complete purge. Parabens were everywhere. A few days later, I had my first batch of moisturizer cooking on the kitchen stove after finding a recipe on a website for natural lotion. The results were immediately gratifying and I began to make lotion regularly, and bath salts and soaps, too. Several years later, that hobby of mine became Bella Luccè, where we continue to create paraben free body products that I am proud to use on myself, my sister, my mother, my children and tens of thousands of clients around the world. Many things have evolved at this company, but our dedication to being paraben-free has not wavered since that very first day. I have long been hesitant to promote what’s not in our products, because I don’t appreciate scare-mongering and I’d hate to have anyone believe that using a product not made by my company is an imminent danger to their health and safety. I’d rather you buy Bella Luccè lotion because its beautifully packaged, smells fabulous and makes you feel utterly decadent. Over the years, though, people have asked how and why I got started and the simple reason is that I was afraid that parabens could be negatively impacting the health of my family. Though I am not convinced as to their safety or danger all these years later, I still pass on paraben-infused products as a matter of personal choice. The natural product industry has begun to shy away from their use and I am greatly encouraged by that development and hope that it’s more than a passing trend. Though the FDA continues to give them the green light, the European Union has been more stringent, limiting their concentration in cosmetic products. The study data available at present is preliminary, underdeveloped and often contradictory. We desperately need objective, thorough studies on parabens and we owe ourselves and our children a long, hard look at the safety and efficacy of the products we smear on ourselves everyday. I encourage you to educate yourself with qualified information and then decide for yourself where you draw the boundaries of your personal comfort zone. There has been a recent surge of bad press for phthalates, parabens, fragrances, formaldehyde donors and on and on…some will have you believe that walking outside itself will kill you. I personally prefer a more rationed approach, studying up on common ingredients and potential dangers and then avoiding questionable elements whenever possible. With that in mind, I am including a series of weblinks at the end of this article which provide more information (from various vantage points) about the safety of parabens. I hope you find them helpful….in the meantime, I am proud to report that Mimi is fine and well and completely cancer-free. She underwent a procedure to remove the questionable tissue and got the “all-clear” from her doctor. We are incredibly thankful for her good health and, despite our initial panic and concern, I am grateful that her discovery was the catalyst that opened my eyes and led me down a path that ultimately gave rise to Bella Luccè. To your health… ● Study which identified parabens in breast tumor tissue (Journal of Applied Toxicology, 2004) Summary Complete Report ● FDA statement on paraben safety ● Breast Cancer Fund: Chemical Fact Sheet ● Cornell University paper from the Sprecher Institute for Comparative Cancer Studies ● “Beauty And The Beasts”, an article by the Environmental Working Group ● American Cancer Society: Antiperspirant and Breast Cancer Risk ● Complex study (first appearing in the Society of Toxicology, 2000) demonstrating the estrogenic activity of parabens Please note: I have attempted to publish links from a variety of perspectives from sources which represent various interests. While there are literally millions of “paraben” mentions on the internet, most are from sources pushing their own agendas, whether that be paraben-free skincare companies interested in scaring you into buying their products exclusively, or powerful cosmetic and pharmaceutical lobbies seeking to protect their own interests. I encourage you to carefully consider and scrutinize the source when reading any material of this nature. Furthermore, several of the studies linked above utilize animal vivisection as a component of their study protocol. Bella Luccè does not support animal vivisection and links to these studies for reference only. |
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