You constantly hear me harp on the dangers of Parabens. I DON'T CARE IF THEY ARE NATURALLY SOURCED FROM BLUEBERRIES OR HONEYSUCKLE - THEY ARE STILL PARABENS, WITH THE SAME MOLECULAR STRUCTURE! Here are recent articles giving you the basic reasons why: By Dr. Mercola

New research has detected the presence of paraben esters in 99 percent of breast cancer tissues sampled.¹ The study examined 40 women who were being treated for primary breast cancer. In 60 percent of cases, five of the different esters were present. Parabens are chemicals with estrogen-like properties, and estrogen is one of the hormones involved in the development of breast cancer. The study notes that:²

"Variation was notable with respect to individual paraben esters, location within one breast and similar locations in different breasts. Overall median values in nanograms per gram tissue for the 160 tissue samples were highest for n-propylparaben and methylparaben; levels were lower for n-butylparaben, ethylparaben and isobutylparaben... The source of the paraben cannot be identified, but paraben was measured in the 7/40 patients who reported never having used underarm cosmetics in their lifetime."

Sources and Dangers of Parabens

Deodorants and antiperspirants are some of the primary sources of parabens, but the fact that even those who reportedly never used them still had parabens in their breast tissue clearly demonstrates that these chemicals, regardless of what products they're added to, can, and apparently will, accumulate in breast tissue. It's important to recognize that whatever you spread on your skin can be absorbed into your body and potentially cause serious damage over time, as this research demonstrates. (To learn more about the potential toxicity of your cosmetics, I urge you to review the EWG's extensive Skin Deep Report.)³ Parabens inhibit the growth of bacteria, yeast, and molds, and are used as preservatives. On the label they may be listed as:

Methyl paraben	Propyl paraben	Isobutyl paraben
Ethyl paraben	Butyl paraben	E216

These chemicals are commonly used in:

Deodorants and antiperspirants	Shampoos and conditioners	Shaving gel	Toothpaste
Lotions and sunscreens	Make-up / cosmetics	Pharmaceutical drugs	Food additives

Studies have shown that parabens can affect your body much like the estrogens, which can lead to diminished muscle mass, extra fat storage, and male gynecomastia (breast growth). Other studies besides the one featured here have also linked parabens to breast cancer. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has linked methyl parabens in particular to metabolic, developmental, hormonal, and neurological disorders, as well as various cancers.

  "Parabens are chemical preservatives such as methyl, propyl, butyl and ethyl parabens that are found in many skin care products and cosmetics. You will not find parabens in organic skin care products. The National Organic Program will not allow any product to be certified organic that contain parabens. With that in mind here are 5 facts you need to know about parabens Fact #1-Parabens mimic your body's own hormones and can disturb the action of your endocrine system. They cause harm to just about every bodily system such as your thyroid, ovaries, hypothalamus and the male reproductive system. Fact# 2- It is a well known medical fact that breast cancer is stimulated by estrogen. Estrogen can be stimulated by absorbing parabens. This is one of the big dangers of parabens and just that alone should make you stay away for products containing parabens. Fact# 3- Parabens enter your bloodstream when rubbed onto your skin. In fact you receive higher concentrations from rubbing it onto your skin than you would from drinking it! It could up to 10 times the amount! When you think about how lose weight, stop smoking, and birth control patches work this makes complete sense. After all they don't have you drink those things! Fact# 4- If you are prone to sensitive skin, parabens can cause allergic reactions and skin rashes. Many skin care products claim to be safe for sensitive skin yet they contain parabens. Even in small amounts the use of parabens over a long period of time can cause serious skin problems. Fact# 5- If that's not enough to convince you of the dangers of parabens, then consider this. If the skin care product you are using contains parabens there's a very high likelihood it also contains other harmful ingredients such as mineral oil, alcohol and fragrance which is a real bad ingredient. The term fragrance can mean up to 4000 different chemicals. Many of them are toxic or cancer causing..." Why are they used: Because they are CHEAP! Manufactures that CARE will use natural, safe preservatives such as: Vitamin E, colloidal silver citrate, Rosemary oil, Leucidal, etc.