PARABEN
Fragrance Ingredient; Preservative
Also listed as
4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID, BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-; P-CARBOXYPHENOL; P-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID; P-SALICYCLIC ACID; 4-HYDROXY- BENZOIC ACID; PARABENS; BENZOIC ACID, 4HYDROXY; 4-CARBOXYPHENOL; ACIDO P-IDROSSIBENZOICO (ITALIAN) ; BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY- (9CI) ; KYSELINA 4-HYDROXYBENZOOVA (CZECH)
Given the incomplete information made available by companies and the government, EWG provides additional information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature. The chart below indicates that research studies have found that exposure to this ingredient -- not the products containing it -- caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility -- information not available in Skin Deep.
| This ingredient: | |
 | Cancer |
 | Developmental/reproductive toxicity |
 | Violations, restrictions & warnings |
| Allergies/immunotoxicity |
| Contamination concerns |
 | Other strong concerns for this ingredient: Miscellaneous, Multiple, additive exposure sources |
| Other moderate concerns for this ingredient: Endocrine disruption, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive) |
| Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Neurotoxicity, Data gaps |
|
See products containing PARABEN | |
About PARABEN: 4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid is an aromatic acid.
PARABEN has reported used in the following product types: shampoo (4); conditioner (3); tanning oil (2); sunscreen: SPF less than 15 (1); makeup remover (1); exfoliant/scrub (1); shaving cream (1); moisturizer (1); hair relaxer (1)
Miscellaneous
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Ingredient not fully labeled - identity unknown |
Endocrine disruption
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Human disruptor - strong evidence | European Commission on Endocrine Disruption | |
| show more | ||
Multiple, additive exposure sources
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Used in food or as an additive with limited or no toxicity information available | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show reproductive effects at very low doses | RTECS®- Environmental Research 1997 | |
| show more | ||
Cancer
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results | RTECS®- Mutation Research 2002 |
Neurotoxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show brain and nervous system effects at moderate doses | RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya 1986 | |
| show more | ||
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Limited evidence of sense organ toxicity | Harvell, J, 1994 | |
| show more | ||
Data gaps
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not assessed for safety in cosmetics by industry panel | ||
| 724 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical see search results -> | PubMed |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be persistent | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | |
| show more | ||
Ecotoxicology
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List |
Government, industry, academic studies and classifications
| government/industry list/academic study | appears on list as | classification(s) |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | 4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID | • There is reported use of the substance, but it has not yet been assigned for toxicology literature search. |
| Byford JR, Shaw LE, Drew MG, Pope GS, Sauer MJ, Darbre PD, 2002 | PARABENS | •Hormonally active (parabens) |
| Harvell, J, 1994 | PARABENS | •Skin or sense organ toxicity hazards: suspected |
| European Commission on Endocrine Disruption | P-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID | •Evidence of endocrine disrupting activity in at least one species using intact animals, high human health concern. •No evidence of endocrine disrupting activity or no data available. |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY- | •This chemical was NOT flagged by CEPA for further attention. |
| RTECS®- Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Therapie 1960 | PARABEN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Drug Standards 1952 | PARABEN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Environmental Research 1997 | PARABEN | • reproductive - Uterus, cervix, vagina (mouse TDLo) • endocrine system - Changes in uterine weight (mouse TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya 1986 | PARABEN | • liver - Changes in liver weight (rat TDLo) • brain and nervous system - Muscle weakness (rat LD50) • kidney or renal system - Other changes (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Gigiena Truda i Professional'nye Zabolevaniya 1984 | PARABEN | • metabolic - Weight loss or decreased weight gain (rat TDLo) • kidney or renal system - Changes in tubules (including acute renal failure, acute tubular (rat TDLo) • liver - Other changes (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Journal of Applied Toxicology (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 2003 | PARABEN | • endocrine system - Changes in uterine weight (mouse TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition 1956 | PARABEN | • brain and nervous system - Ataxia (mouse LD50) • brain and nervous system - Flaccid paralysis without anesthesia (usually neuromuscular blockage) (mouse LD50) • brain and nervous system - Somnolence (general depressed activity) (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2002 | PARABEN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Cytogenetic Analysis (hamster lng) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2002 | PARABEN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Cytogenetic Analysis (hamster lng) |
references
| government/industry list/academic study | reference |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. |
| EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature | Byford JR, Shaw LE, Drew MG, Pope GS, Sauer MJ, Darbre PD. Oestrogenic activity of parabens in MCF7 human breast cancer cells. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2002 Jan;80(1):49-60. |
| Scorecard.org Toxicity Information | Harvell, J., M. Bason and H. Maibach. Contact Urticaria and its Mechanisms. Food Chemistry and Toxicology 32(2): 103-112. 1994. (Table 2: Substances identified as capable of causing contact urticaria). |
| European Commission on Endocrine Disruption | EU (European Union)- Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters 2007. Commision on endocrin disruption requested by the European Parliament in 1998. |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry. |
| RTECS®- Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Therapie 1960 | RTECS®- Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Therapie. (Heymans Institute of Pharmacology, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium) V.4- 1898- 128,135,1960 |
| RTECS®- Drug Standards 1952 | RTECS®- Drug Standards. (Washington, DC) V.19-28, 1951-60. For publisher information, see JPMSAE. 20,89,1952 |
| RTECS®- Environmental Research 1997 | RTECS®- Environmental Research. (Academic Press, Inc., 1 E. First St., Duluth, MN 55802) V.1- -1967 75,130,1997 |
| RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya 1986 | RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya. For English translation, see HYSAAV. (V/O Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, 113095 Moscow, USSR) V.1- 1936- 51(1),85,1986 |
| RTECS®- Gigiena Truda i Professional'nye Zabolevaniya 1984 | RTECS®- Gigiena Truda i Professional'nye Zabolevaniya. Labor Hygiene and Occupational Diseases. (V/O Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, 113095 Moscow, USSR) V.1-36, 1957-1992. For publisher information, see MTPEEI 28(7),53,1984 |
| RTECS®- Journal of Applied Toxicology (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 2003 | RTECS®- Journal of Applied Toxicology (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Oldlands Way Bognor Regis West Sussex, PO22 9SA England) V.1- 1981- 23,285,2003 |
| RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition 1956 | RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition. (Washington, DC) V.29-49, 1940-60. For publisher information, see JPMSAE. 45,260,1956 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2002 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- 517,187,2002 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2002 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- -1964 517,187,2002 |
"RTECS®" is a United States trademark owned and licensed under authority of the U.S. Government, by and through MDL Information Systems, Inc.
Copyright © 2010 by Environmental Working Group
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