I recently had a review of the book that was disappointed in the fact that I supported the use of paraben preservatives in products and that I did not talk about ingredients from a carcinogenic or toxicology point of view. This was tough for me and a point of discussion with my editor. I am not a Toxicologist, I am a Dermatologist and frankly, I don’t have all the information on what chemicals in skincare could have cancer-causing properties. In fact, I would argue none of us do.
What I do know about is what gives people rashes and reactions.
This is what my book, Beyond Soap is about.
Parabens are a tough topic, as I lay out in the book – there are 4 types of paraben preservatives used in skincare. 2 are problematic and I think should not be used. Methylparaben, on the other hand, is found in nature- blueberries produce it and use it to help preserve themselves.
I do give options for patients and do say explicitly in the book that for those who find this ingredient troubling you can find products on the Product Elimination Diet (PED) list that don’t have parabens.
Finally, the one of the focuses of the book is to help those with reactive skin or who are having skincare reactions or uncontrolled eczema. Once you are better you can use all the paraben free skincare you want but introduced in an organized fashion as laid out in the PED.