A new study performed at the request of the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) show that parabens are only partially absorbed after dermal exposure and also strongly suggests they are fully metabolize before they can enter the bloodstream. The metabolite PHBA (para-hydroxybenzoic acid) was found in the bloodstream, but no concentrations of parabens were measured. Since PHBA is not known to have any estrogenic effects and is found widely in plants and human food, these trace exposures in humans pose no health risk.
“The study confirms the results of a number of other research studies, which concluded from their work that parabens are metabolized rapidly and to a large extent in living organisms and therefore cannot exhibit any adverse effects,” states the industry trade group COLIPA.
For several years, some consumer advocacy groups have distorted information to aggressively attack paraben preservatives just to create fear in the minds of consumers. Scientists who have reviewed the latest data believe it will convince the SCCS of the safety for these important ingredients.