Parabens: Really a Problem ?

On the Internet some articles say that 75% of facial masks contain preservatives which could cause breast cancer

Is it true ?..The facts
-Quantities of 20mg have been found in lesions of breast cancer lesions
-Parabens can bind Estrogen receptor
-deodorants contain parabens
-deodorants applied in the anterior armpit coincide in location with the Upper Outer Quadrant of the Breast, which is the most frequent location where cancers occur

Is it true ?…The study
Study design:
20 breast tissues were matched with 7 tissue controls
Parabens were found but from here don’t get too excited !…

the problems:
-the sample size is too small
-in the patients where the breast cancer tissue was extracted:
No data is available whether there is exposure history or family history of breast cancer.
There is no information if the extracted tumor tissue is benign or malignant. We do not know if the tumor is benign or malignant. No family history
There is no information from which part the tissue controls is taken from
The controls do not contain breast tissue
Parabens were also found in “control” tissues and the level of the control is high enough to make the finding unreliable
Parabens are no longer listed in the US in underarm products since 2006

Combined with this study, questions from patients also arise because:
The media and even health organizations state parabens as “a potential problem”
Also the EU banned products: the EU only bans 5 parabens which are not used in the cosmetic industry
Paraben has estrogenic activity: butyl-paraben can bind to estrogen receptor but the combined molecule is 100000 times weaker than estradiols

A word on Parabens
-They are not only found in cosmetics.
-They have been used for over 30 years in foods, cosmetics and drugs (medication)

Conclusion: “The paraben hype”: Cosmetics are science-based but market driven and knowing this might help to understand the logics of marketing….to avoid consumer fear and challenge the competition with the label “Paraben-free”.

TSAI Dino. Are Parabens in Cosmetic Products Really Guilty As Charged? Global Chinese Dermatology Summit (GCDS) Symposium. World Congress of Dermatology 2015 –  Vancouver, Canada