Parabens in makeup... bad or good?

I'm an Esthetician so this question comes up a lot in my world.  I avoid parabens, they are still doing studies on parabens and from what I've read, they aren't good.  I LOVE e.l.f's mineral makeup, they do not contain parabens.

Lot's of cosmetic companies are starting to reformulate their products in order to remove the parabens and then they advertise the fact that their products don't contain those "harmful' ingredients... that speaks volumes to me.

Most mineral makeup lines don't have parabens (some do though) check out:

Terra Firma cosmetics (I carry this line at my spa, love their colors)

Zuzu

Jane Iredale

Aubrey's Organics

Just to name a few.  You can't beat elf's prices though!  Hope this helps ;)

:D elf is the most amazing cosmetics company everrrr!!! Anyways, our name is vicky and jess and we actually have a blog and I would luv it if you came and checked it out. I will be adding alot of new posts on elf very soon!!! If you ever have time, please check it out! we are so new to the blogging world, so we are just trying to get the word out.

my blog is:

www.vickyandjess.blogspot.com

<3 much love and kudos,

vicky and jess

Actually, Parabens/Preservatives prevent bacterial buildup in certian cosmetics products. I understand the "Formaldehyde-releasing" hype, but the truth is that they're used in such small amounts in makeup that they won't reach the bloodstream -- they're metabolized before they have the chance. There are actually studies you can reference regarding this (in scientific journals, i.e. published research articles) but they're rough to get through. If you're truly interested in learning about preservatives in makeup check out Paula'sChoice.com; she goes into depth discussing all sorts of makeup ingredients and I believe that anyone who is interested in skincare can learn a lot from the data she has gathered from researchers.

Thanks for the info, I will look up that website... I have done a lot of my own research and I consult with 'skin deep' the cosmetic data base.  Unfortunately a lot of paraben like preservatives are hidden under names like "parfume' or 'fregrance" so its really had to say how much it really in there and how harmful is it really over time??  These are questions I like to ask and the answers don't seem to be clear so I avoid them (parabens) as much as possible.  Also, because there are so many parabens in so many things that maybe what's in your cleanser, for example, isn't enough but the constant bombardment of them in everything you use is, or would become harmful.

There are alternative ingredients that can be used to prevent bacteria for example, essential oils.  It's being done right now all the time where companies are replacing the parabens with natural ingredients... sure the shelf life of these products maybe won't last as long but why would I want a product that is good for 5 + years, and how long has it been sitting before I bought it??  At least this way you know that what you bought isn't old ant there is some sort of regulation and expiration which is a really good thing.

P.S.

I am in no way downing any product line that uses these ingredients, it's all about choice.

I absolutely love and use all of elf's mineral makeup and brushes! They are wonderful and affordable!