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Deodorants: Is it possible to stay fresh and still stay safe?

05 August 2006

Nobody wants to go around smelling like a compost heap (or be around someone who does), but what price do you pay for keeping shower-fresh all day long?

This old question was recently resurrected when UK researchers highlighted the potential risks associated with the preservatives parahydroxybenzoic acids, or parabens, in deodorants.

Parabens are used in a wide variety of cosmetics, and studies suggest they are oestrogenic. Used in formulas absorbed into the skin, such as body, face and suncreams, it is speculated that these xenoestrogens (from outside the body) could build up and cause health problems.

Speculation came closer to reality when researchers at the University of Reading found traces of parabens in every single tumour sample taken from a small group of women with breast cancer (J Appl Toxicol, 2004; 24: 5-13).

They concluded that the chemicals had seeped into the tissue after being applied to the skin, probably via deodorants. As ...

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