An underarm deodorant - parabens are used in 80-90% of personal care products

Parabens are preservatives. Parabens are so effective and cheap that they are used in as much as 80-90% of commercially sold personal care products and even in food.

Commercial shampoo, conditioner, cosmetics, deodorant, skin cream, lotion, shaving cream, personal lubricant and toothpaste almost always contain paraben. There are several kinds of parabens. You may just see the word paraben, or you may see any of the following:

• methylparaben
• ethylparaben
• propylparaben
• butylparaben
• isobutylparaben
• benzylparaben

Natural parabens can be found in food such as blueberries and cinnamon, but all parabens used in commercial products are synthetic.

Parabens are known to weakly mimic the hormone oestrogen which can affect human reproductive health. The biggest concern comes from the studies that have found parabens in breast cancer cells, and also the fact that more than half of all breast cancer tumours are found in the area closest to the underarm, where women shave and apply deodorants.

Other names for parabens include:

• methyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
• ethyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
• propyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
• butyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
• benzyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
• parahydroxybenzoic acid
• parahydroxybenzoate
• p-hydroxybenzoic acid
• p-hydroxybenzoate

Note: Milk Relief Soap™ contains no parabens.

Photo by Kyle Jones

Do we really know what goes on our face?

We all know what we put on our face, our largest organ, matters a lot. But do you know what really goes on in the manufacturing processes of your favorite cosmetics, or do you assume it can’t be too bad if you see them sold at respectable outlets and everyone else uses them?

Remember, the laws don’t require every single ingredient to be listed on product labels. We try our best to spot the unwanted, but in some cases, we just don’t know how unsafe an ingredient may be. It’s time we put away our complacent attitude for the sake of our future health.

Reading some articles like this one in No More Dirty Looks will be a real eye-opener for most of us. But here’s a word of caution: once you get thinking, you will no longer feel happy about the products you use now. Ignorance is bliss, well, sometimes.

Photo by Dyanna

Sodium lauryl sulfate is a synthetic "bubble maker"

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) makes lots of fine bubbles and cleans greasy skin and hair very well. It is also very cheap. That’s why you find SLS in most commercial soaps, shampoos, body wash, shaving foams, bubble baths and even toothpastes. Because SLS can strip off grease so well, it is also used in engine degreasers and car wash. Too much SLS is too strong for skin and hair, so no more than 15% of it is used in personal cleaning products.

SLS is made from lauryl alcohol which is usually taken from coconut or palm oil. Lauryl alcohol is put through a series of chemicals reactions including hydrogenation to make SLS.

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) are similar but different.

Note: Milk Relief Soap™ contains no sodium lauryl sulfate.

Ingredients listed on soap packaging

1. Sodium lauryl sulfate (or sulphate) aka SLS
2. Parabens
3. Propylene glycol
4. Tetrasodium etidronate
5. Tetrasodium EDTA
6. Titanium dioxide
7. Stearic Acid

Soap on supermarket shelves

What this blog is about.

As consumers, we should be able to pick up any bar of soap at a store, glance at the list of ingredients, and know exactly what the soap is made with. Unfortunately, the reality is that most of us aren’t familiar with the long names of the soap ingredients or what the particular ingredients do. This blog will attempt to look at each ingredient we come across in commercial soaps, and explain it in plain English for all to understand.