Parabens and Sodium Lauryl Sulphates

Big words - big debate. Are Parabens and Sodium Lauryl Sulphates harmful?

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Parabens and Sodium Lauryl Sulphates

Recently Parabens and Sodium Lauryl Sulphates have been the subject of health scares in the national press and more and more people are looking for bodycare products without these ingredients.

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Parabens and Sodium Lauryl Sulphates - The Truth

And the truth is ... we don't know. The jury is out on both. Some say the most appalling things about both, and others swear blind they are both OK.

Parabens are preservatives found in nearly all cosmetics. They are added to kill bacteria and inhibit mould. They have also been found to mimic oestrogen, and having been found in breast cancer tumours there are growing concerns for its safety. They are known as skin and eye irritants, and have also been linked to damage to sperm production in males.

Some manufacturers argue that they are used in such small concentrations that they cannot have any adverse effect on humans. However, as they cannot be broken down, the concern is that over time they accumulate.

Skin care

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is a detergent that is used in many shampoos and washing products. Considered safe in small doses, but again linked with cancer scares. Combined with other chemicals to form nitro samines, which are carcinogenic and lodge themselves in the liver and the lungs. It is also a skin and eye irritant in higher concentrations.

However, there are some experts who believe that SLS is fine and that these are just scare stories.

Policy
Yaoh avoids the use of Parabens and Sodium Lauryl Sulphates, as we do not see them as necessary (or indeed preferable) and there are too many doubts about them. We make our products in small runs and they do not sit on the shelves long. We use olefin sulfonate and cocomidyl propylbetaine as our detergent and foaming agent in our shampoo and washing products, both of which are a lot milder alternatives. We use citric acid and potassium, sorbate as preservatives. All our products conform to current UK legislation and are tested for stability and safety. We do not test our products or ingredients on animals.

Products
Yaoh shampoo, bubblebath, shower gel and liquid soap are free from SLS and parabens, and are mild and nourishing whilst still effective. All the others are free form parabens.