Cosmetic products with these parabens are now illegal for selling in the country

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Photo for illustration purpose only but not necessarily referring to the banned cosmetic products- Ed.

Are you still using cosmetic products containing the ingredients of isobutylparaben and isopropylparaben?

That is because after December 31, 2015, beauty enhancement and maintenance cosmetic products containing such ingredients are banned, prohibited from being sold or distributed in the country.

Reports said that while the Philippine Food and Drugs Administration ended the grace period of marketing such products until the end of 2015, consumers are either still using or buying from known sellers. The culprit manufacturers, distributors and retailers of cosmetic products insist on continuing the sale of banned items for profit notwithstanding the health risk in its usage.

Some studies have indicated that parabens can imitate estrogens, which have been associated to an increased risk of breast cancer

Other studies have suggested that parabens can disrupt reproductive hormones

Isobutylparaben and isopropylparaben, along with benzylparaben, pentylparaben and phenyparaben, had been included in the “list of substances which must not form part of the composition of cosmetic products under the ASEAN Cosmetics Directive. Same ingredients are banned in cosmetic products in the European Union.

The European Commission has banned these parabens as early as 2009, while it took the Philippines and the ASEAN over six years to finally recognize the harmful effect such products could lead the user in the long run.

Parabens are commonly used as preservatives in cosmetics to prevent the growth of microbes and promote a longer product shelf life. The same ingredients have attracted critical attention because they can mimic hormones and negatively affect human health.

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