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Propylparaben
Propylparaben
A paraben preservative that adds mold protection to methylparaben’s protection against bacteria, so the two often appear together.
What it does
It adds protection against mold and yeast to methylparaben’s protection against bacteria, which is why the two often appear together. The EU allows it only in low amounts.
The EU’s ingredient database lists it as a preservative (holds back germs in the product).European Commission, CosIng (© European Union, CC BY 4.0) · uses put in plain words by Drop ↗
The evidence, graded
moderateFragrance, essential oils, denatured alcohol and certain preservatives (methylisothiazolinone, the formaldehyde-releasers) are the usual suspects on sensitive skin. In the patch-test data read here — patients whose dermatitis was linked to a cleanser — the preservative quaternium-15 topped the list at 11.2% and fragrance mix I came fifth at 7.7%. Test a new product on a small patch of skin before you use it on your face.Warshaw 2018 · Dermatitis ↗
expert consensusSCCS/1623/20 (final version of 30–31 March 2021) considered the concerns about potential endocrine disrupting properties. It concluded that propylparaben is safe as a preservative in cosmetic products up to a maximum concentration of 0.14%. It found some indications of potential endocrine effects, but not enough evidence to regard it as an endocrine disrupting substance.SCCS 2021 · European Commission SCCS (final version, 30-31 March 2021) ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
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