If you have a look through your bathroom cupboards, and have a rummage through your make-up bag, I expect you’ll find some products marked "free from parabens". But what does this mean, and is it a good thing to have paraben free skincare?

What are parabens?

Parabens are chemicals. They are often used as a preservative as they are both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. There are naturally occurring parabens in some fruits, such as blueberries, but the ones we find in our cosmetics and toiletries will have been produced in a lab.

Why are they a problem?

As with many man-made chemicals, the full extent of their effect on the human body isn’t apparent until after several years of exposure. Whereas the natural parabens found in fruits are broken down by our metabolism, those that are applied to the skin can find their way into our bodies and our bloodstream without being processed in this way.

Scientists have found that parabens mimic the estrogen hormone, which has been linked to cancers. With the incidence of cancers, such as breast cancer, rising year on year scientists are looking at the chemicals we expose ourselves to as a possible cause for this. Parabens are often found in cancerous tissue, which suggests a correlation.

How can products applied to our skin get into our bodies?

When we look at human skin we see it as water resistant, so find it hard to think of it as absorbing whatever we put on it. Whilst we can stand in the rain and not soak it up like a sponge, if we apply creams and lotions these will be slowly absorbed by the skin.

Different chemicals are absorbed at different rates, but scientists have reported that we can absorb up to 5lb of chemicals through our skin each year.

How can I avoid these chemicals?

There are many natural and organic skincare ranges available which make use of natural ingredients which perform the same job as their chemical counterparts. These can be more expensive, as the producers of natural products will need to source their ingredients from growers, and cannot buy them in bulk from labs.

Whilst not as strict as with food produce, ingredients lists are now commonplace on skincare and toiletries. Check your cupboards now and find out which of your usual brands use parabens, and then take a look at the alternatives next time you are out shopping.

Does paraben free skincare work as well?

The parabens in your skincare products are acting as preservatives, and do not have any skin soothing or regenerating properties of their own. So if you find a similar product which doesn’t contain parabens then you shouldn’t notice any difference.

Often, you’ll find that the paraben free alternatives are also free from other chemicals, such as sulphates and other synthetic chemicals. They will be using natural ingredients instead, and whilst usually slightly more expensive are offering you a much healthier option.