Methylparaben in Cosmetics

Methylparaben, also methyl paraben, one of the parabens, is a preservative with the chemical formula CH3(C6H4(OH)COO). It is the methyl ester of p-hydroxybenzoic acid. Methylparaben serves as a pheromone for a variety of insects and is a component of queen mandibular pheromone. It is a pheromone in wolves produced[clarification needed] during estrus associated with the behavior of alpha male wolves preventing other males from mounting females in heat.

What Is Methylparaben?

Methylparaben is one of the most popular preservatives in beauty products and food items. According to the National Library of Medicine, the ingredient occurs naturally in a handful of fruits—like blueberries—though it can also be created synthetically.1 It's found in everything from cream cleansers and moisturizers to primers and foundations and helps these products maintain their effectiveness. Rabach says that it's chock-full of anti-fungal and antibacterial properties, which work wonders to extend the shelf life of skincare, haircare, and cosmetic products.

Benefits of Methylparaben

Methylparaben is used to preserve the formula of a skincare product and is therefore not directly beneficial to the state of your skin's health.

Prevents fungus growth: Thanks to its antibacterial properties, Rabach says that methylparaben is a preservative that is added to many creams and cosmetic products to prevent fungus from growing.

Preserves ingredients: Given the way methylparaben prevents fungus from growing within creamy formulas, it's able to preserve ingredients and help consumers get the most out of their cosmetic purchases.

Is antibacterial: Since it's a preservative, González says methylparaben is effective at preventing microbial growth and germs such as bacteria and mold in skincare and cosmetic formulations.

How to Use It

Methylparaben is an anti-fungal agent often used in a variety of cosmetics and personal-care products. It is also used as a food preservative and has the E number E218.

Methylparaben is commonly used as a fungicide in Drosophila food media at 0.1%.To Drosophila, methylparaben is toxic at higher concentrations, has an estrogenic effect (mimicking estrogen in rats and having anti-androgenic activity), and slows the growth rate in the larval and pupal stages at 0.2%.

Using methylparaben is as simple as performing your regular AM and PM skincare routine. Since the preservative is in most creamy formulations, there's a pretty good chance that you've been using methylparaben without realizing it. What's more, considering it's in both daytime and nighttime formulas, it's safe to use daily, not to mention multiple times per day. Again, the only cause for concern is if you have reactive skin, in which case, you should check your labels for methylparaben to see if frequent use of the ingredient could be leading to any disruptions in the skin.

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