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Who doesn’t love long and luscious lashes? Applying mascara is a staple makeup step and embedded in many beauty routines. While we love to make our eyes pop, we want to be confident that we’re only putting the most quality ingredients near our eyes. It’s with good faith that we trust makeup brands and beauty companies to put the best products out there – one’s that our safe and healthy. However, it may not be wise to soley rely on brand loyalty. Some mascaras have a big red-flag ingredient in their formulas that can lead to more harm than good – this ingredient in parabens.
We spoke with Dr. Sheel Desai Solomon, a Board-Certified Dermatologist all about the dangers of having parabens in our mascaras. Read on to learn why you should read the formula list before checking out with your brand new mascara.
Parabens can be under the names Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, and Propylparaben, on a formula or ingredients list. According to Dr. Soloman, most cosmetics use parabens as a preservative to prevent bacteria growth. “It is commonly found in mascara and is what allows us to keep it on our shelves for months (even years) at a time. However, you don’t want this anywhere near your skin, let alone your eyes!”
Effects on Hormones
"Many studies have looked into the role parabens play in the endocrine system," says Dr. Soloman. "It has been found that parabens are estrogenic, which means it mimics the function of estrogen in the body. This has led to increasing concerns on the effects of high levels of estrogen have on early puberty, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers, and male infertility." If you're thinking, how can something put on my lashes get into my system (enough to effect hormone levels), know this! It's possible for parabens seep through the pores on your skin and enter into your bloodstream. Yikes!
Possible Allergic Reactions
Parabens are known to cause adverse reactions with the skin (like unwanted redness, bumps, or irritations). "This is because parabens deeply penetrate the skin and cause hormone imbalances," says Dr. Soloman. "Parabens have been found to lead to contact dermatitis, a severe type of skin inflammation presented in the form of blisters, rashes, and burning skin." We can imagine the massive discomfort, especially if located in or around the eye!
Premature Aging
Did you know, that there are certain elements that can leave you more exposed to the sun's ray (no matter the SPF)? "One of the many side effects of parabens, is it can cause sun sensitivity. It causes the skin cells to perish at a much quicker rate than usual, leaving your skin vulnerable to sun damage." Over expsore to the sun can lead to fine lines, wrinkles, and even dark spots.
As you can see, it's wise to know (extensively) what's in a product before putting it anywhere on your body (especially on the face or eyes). Learn more about beauty SheFinds.com, to learn more tips on how to avoid certain ingredients that may be in your beauty products!
