Para Has-Beens

No matter how often you buy beauty products, it seems like with every trip to the drugstore or makeup counter there's a new "miracle" ingredient — like, say, acai berry extract — suddenly being touted as the must-have component in everything that goes in your medicine cabinet. Meanwhile, some ingredients that have been used for years, like parabens, have become musts to avoid ... even if you're not sure exactly why. If you're an average shopper simply trying to stock up on shampoo and conditioner, it can be intimidating and confusing.

In the case of parabens, it's easy to understand why they've been a mainstay in personal care products for so long: They inexpensively keep yuck-factor germs like bacteria and fungi out of loads of everyday items like deodorant and cleansers. But it's just as easy to see why they're worth avoiding: Some studies have linked parabens to breast cancer in both men and women. And although it's less serious, some people also experience skin irritation from them. As your grandma would say: It's better to be safe than sorry.

If you're looking to avoid parabens altogether, keep an eye out for the most common types on ingredient lists: methylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben. Fortunately, there are plenty of paraben-free products on the market that use substances like peppermint and grapefruit seed oil as natural preservatives instead … and these lines typically use organic ingredients and recycled packaging as well.

Need some recommendations of products that are paraben-free and still effective? Whether your skin is acne-prone or dry, one brand to look out for is Juice Beauty, which has a full line of cleansers, moisturizers and problem-solvers for the face. If you're not sure where to start, there's this sampler, with mini-sizes of a handful of items, that's great for traveling or taking to the gym. For the body, indulgent brands like Caudalie offer lots of pampering products (like Crushed Cabernet Scrub, an exfoliator made from red wine grapes). M brands have begun to take the parabens out of their formulas when it comes to cosmetics, too ... or simply create new one — like Kiehl's just-launched paraben-free mascara.

Keep in mind that without the heavy-duty preservative power of parabens, some of these items have a shorter shelf life than you might expect. But for all you beauty product-holics, just think of that as a welcome excuse to go shopping.