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Parabens - who to believe?
I’m new to formulating and trying to learn as much as possible. I have been listening to Perry’s podcasts, reading his material and also doing some research on the web. I hear Perry constantly saying that there is no scientific proof that Parabens are harmful and then I read an article like this from a supposed skin care expert (Dr. Crates) on the 20 most toxic chemical ingredients in cosmetic products. Number 6 - Parabens.
So what is a consumer supposed to believe? If I tell them not to believe the Paraben scare hype, they can point to an article like this one as proof that they are bad. Yes I know that the article doesn’t site any specific research, but from a consumers point of view the information is coming from a Dr.
Any thoughts?
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4 Replies
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There is an easy answer to this. In the big picture, the initial study against parabens was flawed (Dabre) and the Science is still spotty. However, you must identify your Market and to be successful yield to the bias. In the niche of “natural” products, likely you have to avoid them like the plague. There are alternatives, but it will also force you to step up and utilize concepts of the hurdle technique and ensure good sanitation compliance is being followed by your manufacturer.
However, in some markets such as OTC and larger markets such as those L’Oreal sells in, they care much less about parabens and use them safely. Those of us that practice in the “natural” arena can sometimes have an issue with perspective in this respect. We are an ant standing on an orange thinking this is our planet while it is just an orange.
In summary, it is identifying and meeting the bias. Banning parabens is a market force which sadly has not made Cosmetics safer but has rather increased the risk of contamination.
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@Skypirate - You raise a great question. Information about product safety is something consumers can have difficulty finding. However, I would just suggest you stick to reliable sources like people who actually have degrees in Toxicology.
The article you linked to is the Natural News which is equivalent to the National Enquirer. It is a BS publication designed to sell products through fear mongering. And the “doctor” who is quoted in the article is “Leading naturopathic doctor Trevor Cates”
Naturopathic is not a doctor! They are experts in the fairy tale that is naturopath.And even if you can find an actual doctor who makes this claim (I’m sure you can) that doesn’t mean much either. Here are some things you should do when you come across claims like this.
1. Is the person making the claim trying to convince you to buy something in which they benefit from you believing the claim? “Dr” Trevor Cates does. https://store.thespadr.com/ Any claim she makes should be met with a high degree of skepticism.
2. Is the person making the claim an expert in the subject? The Spa Dr claims to be an expert in skin. She got a bachelors degree in English, a masters degree in Psychology and an ND degree in the fake subject of naturopathy. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevorcates/) This does not make her an expert in Toxicology which is the subject of the claims.
3. What do the consensus of experts on the subject say? We are all biased. Therefore the claims of any single scientists should not hold more weight than the claims of the consensus of scientists. On the subject of parabens the consensus is clear, they are safe to use at the levels used in cosmetics.
If you remember those three questions whenever you hear a claim about any subject, you’ll be more likely get to the truth.
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Great advice from Perry. You would be surprised how often I get blogs sent to me by clients that fail to meet all three tests. In the end, they are distractions from the R&D process.
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Great advice guys, thank you. I will burn the 3 steps into my memory.
Now if we could only convince consumers to do the same, that’s an uphill battle
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