Methylparaben - Soulani Lavussa

DO YOU KNOW WHY YOUR HYGIENE PRODUCTS AREN’T MOLDY YET!?

Image Source: http://www.auravieadvisor.com/safety-tips-for-choosing-cosmetic-products/

Ever wondered how your lotion, shampoo, make up and deodorant stay from expiring right away even after using them for what may seem as forever?

Here is one reason why… Methylparaben!

Methylparbens IUPAC name is Methyl-4-hydroxybenzoate (1) and is a crystalline compound that is used as an antifungal preservative in products such as creams and lotions as well as the ones mentioned above (7). It is part of a group of compounds known as parabens that include ethylparaben, propylparaben and butlyparaben. In most products all four are found together (1). They all possess antibacterial and antifungal properties that fight against fungi and bacteria, methylparaben can be found in several fruits occurring naturally such as blueberries (3). It can also be synthesized in a lab to have the same molecular structure as that found in nature by reacting an acid called para-hydroxybenzoic acid and the alcohol known as methanol in a process known as esterification (3).

The chemical formula for this chemical is C8-H8-03, it basically has 8 carbons, 8 hydrogens, and three oxygens arranged in structure that gives it its unique chemical properties (1). Methylparaben is a white crystalline powder with no odor but has a slight burning taste (8). It is soluble in alcohol, ether, water and other chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride and benzene (8).

In general parabens dramatically extend shelf life of many health and beauty products, they keep them from going bad, if you are money conscious products with methylparaben tend to be a whole lot cheaper than products that say “Paraben Free” (4). More than ¾ of health care products contain parabens in their list of ingredients!  Products that are paraben free instead use organic acids that preserve just as well as methylparaben and other parabens (4). These organic acids are complex chemicals such as diazolidinyl urea, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (4). Products that are paraben free tend to appeal to those who seek natural products.

Image Source: http://astrologyandmore.blogspot.ca/p/cancer-women.html

Methylparaben is readily and completely absorbed through the skin and from the gastrointestinal tract but is usually excreted in urine and there is no evidence of accumulation in the body (5). It has been found to have some negative effects on humans such as its reaction with UVB rays which can lead to increased skin aging and DNA damage (2) as well as its possibility to sensitizing skin and causing allergic skin reactions, although these incidences are low (1). Some studies of breast tumors show a buildup of methylparabens in the breast tissues but if it causes the tumors it is still unknown (2). As well although estrogenic activity has been related to breast cancer & methylparaben has been shown to act similar to estrogen it has been shown to have less estrogenic activity in the body than the naturally occurring estrogen (6).  Studies have found that a reasonable about of methylparaben usage is about 10mg per kilogram of body weight, in general this limit is usually not exceeded by regular product usage in a day (3).

As for the environment, methylparaben is readily biodegradable and is degraded by exposure to water, sunlight and microscopic organisms in the soil and in addition to its degradation it helps to remove toxic phenols from the surrounding environment (3).

Image source: http://fgsbio.en.alibaba.com/product/450092855-209763020/GOOD_QUALITY_methyl_paraben.html

REFERENCES

 (1) Household Products Database - Health and Safety Information on Household Products. (2013). Household Products Database - Health and Safety Information on Household Products. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=chem&id=551&query=methylparaben&searchas=TblChemicalshttp://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/r?dbs+hsdb:@term+@rn+99-76-3

(2) Handa, O; Kokura, S; Adachi, S; Takagi, T; Naito, Y; Tanigawa, T; Yoshida, N; Yoshikawa, T (2006). "Methylparaben potentiates UV-induced damage of skin keratinocytes". Toxicology 227 (1–2): 62–72. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2006.07.018. PMID 16938376. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16938376

(3) Maier, K. (2013, November 12). What Is Methylparaben? wiseGEEK. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-methylparaben.htm

(4) Parabens. (n.d.). Parabens. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://paraben.co.uk/

(5) Soni, M., Taylor, S., Greenberg, N., & Burdock, G. (2002). Evaluation of the health aspects of methyl paraben: a review of the published literature. Food Chem Toxicol, 40(10), 1335-70. Retrieved Nov 18, 2013 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12387298

(6) U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (n.d.). Parabens. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from http://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/productandingredientsafety/selectedcosmeticingredients/ucm128042.htm

(7)Methylparaben. (2005). In Merriam-Webster's medical desk dictionary, revised edition. Retrieved Nov, 5 2013 from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2367/content/entry/mwmedicaldesk/methylparaben/0

            (8) Methylparaben. (2007). In Hawley's condensed chemical dictionary. Retrieved Nov 8 from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2367/content/entry/wileyhawccd/methylparaben/0