Ah, the parabens question. If you’re not familiar with parabens, these ingredients are the supposedly toxic component that sparked the current natural skin care revolution (that’s what I’m calling it… a revolution!). But soon after these common cosmetics preservatives were roundly attacked as endocrine disruptors, meaning they muck with our estrogen levels and potentially cause reproductive issues, critics emerged saying the studies were flawed, and that other research showed parabens have only a weak influence on hormones. Though many companies are removing parabens from their products (such as Alba, who finally took it out of the shaving cream my hubby loves so much, which is pictured at left), the jury still seems to be out among cosmetics makers and other experts (Real Simple has a great article explaining the issue). Bottom line: Parabens are in products in such small quantities, I wouldn’t worry too much if your fave brand still uses them, but I would personally investigate a replacement product without them, especially if it’s something you use all over your body. Also, check to see which parabens are in your products. While methylparaben is banned in the European Union for use in cosmetics, according to the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetics Database, other parabens like butylparaben are not, and have been safety tested in Canada. I site these evaluations by organizations other than the FDA because, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t think the FDA protects us much at all. Case in point: Methylparaben is actually used as a food preservative in the U.S., according to The Beauty Brains.