Parabens have been a crucial ingredient for skin care products since the genesis of the beauty and skincare industry. They’re undoubtedly good for the product’s shelf life, however, they’re a nemesis to your skin and health. Parabens can do more harm to you than any good, as they can disrupt male hormones, cause skin irritation or even adverse health problems. However some brands have been manufacturing paraben-free skin care products. Let’s delve into the story about Parabens: the conman to your skin.
When you walk through the personal care section of your local supermarket, you see bulks of skin care products, each with a discrete commitment to make your skin healthy and flawless. As a matter of fact, you cannot just chuck a random bottle into your trolley (While women do go through the ingredients, men usually tend to ignore and pick random stuff).
However, one thing that I’d like to skillfully avoid are parabens as they’re the most notorious conman to the skin (even more than Danny Ocean from Ocean’s Eleven).
The beauty and skincare industry has long relied on parabens to increase the shelf life of skincare products. However, its safety has been questioned quite recently when people using products with parabens faced various health problems.
Parabens can interfere with hormonal balance in men, resulting in low testosterone level, poor sperm count and infertility. Prolonged exposure to parabens can cause allergies, redness, irritation and flaking. In rare conditions, it can even cause cancer.
Throughout the years, we’ve become increasingly aware of what we eat. Similarly, it is crucial to know about the ingredients of skin care products that we rub onto our skin.
It is difficult to find a skincare product without paraben. Probably your trusty sunscreen also carries an amount of paraben! However, there are brands that produce skin care products without parabens.
Here are some of the skin care brands that you can choose from if you want to go paraben free:
Faith in Nature
A UK based skin care brand, Faith in Nature curates ‘clean beauty’ by channelling the power of Earth with their exclusive skin care products. All of the products from their shelf are tailored to nourish and repair the skin.
The brand is committed to a plastic-free packaging as the packaging of the products are easily recyclable. It has a number of self care essentials for men like shampoos, body washes, mists and toners.
Mancave
Specialised in men’s grooming and skin care, Mancave trusts in its carefully- selected natural ingredients. The brand helps to replenish your skin and provide it with the nourishment that you’re otherwise missing out with products filled with chemicals.
Some of the ingredients used by the brand are white tea, aloe vera and cucumber extracts.
The brand has a range of skin care products, starting from shower gels to moisturisers.
Bulldog Skincare
Bulldog skincare is a UK- based brand earmarked for men’s self care needs. Whether you have a skin type that is dry, sensitive, oily or even mature, the brand has all the solutions. The skin care products are suitable for almost every skin type.
Along with ditching parabens, the brand also avoids using plastics, synthetic fragrances and traces of any artificial colour in their products. It has a variety of skincare products like lip balm, emulsion, face wash, scrub and moisturiser.
Palmer’s
A legacy of skin care passed down by America’s one of the earliest skincare companies, ET Browne Drug Company, Palmer’s uses natural ingredients like cocoa butter, coconut oil, shea butter and olive oil.
The brand is specialised in tending a diverse range of skin types, with products like moisturisers, skin oil, hand cream and foot cream.
If you want to give a buttery touch to your skin, go for Palmer’s Cocoa Butter formula, as it works like magic!
Hawkins and Brimble
Founded by Stephen Shortt, Hawkins and Brimble was created in 2016 with the guidance of a British master barber. The brand curates a range of skin care products specifically for men.
If you love to walk with a waft of fresh, crisp fragrance, go for Hawkins and Brambles as most of the products reek of lemon and mints!
The brand has a limited number of exclusive skin care products, including body wash, facial scrub and face wash.
Conclusion
Parabens are sneaky culprits in skin care products that can harm men’s skin and health.
It is sad to hear that parabens also affect the natural habitat. Parabens washed up in sewage end up being released into the environment. They also harm aquatic life as parabens have been found in tissues of marine mammals like dolphins, sea otters and polar bears.
Paraben is also a prime felon behind the damage of coral reefs across the world.
While buying a paraben-free skincare product, look for labels like ‘free-from parabens’ or ‘0% parabens’ on its packaging and keep your skin as well as environment healthy.