Growth Drivers
- Rising Demand for Food – Parabens are a group of preservatives used in foods and beverages such as dairy products, oils and fats, seafood, grains, meats, fruits, and vegetables to extend the shelf-life of by slowing down the rotting process. For instance, Methyl and n-propyl, the most commonly used parabens, can be added up to 0.1% to prevent spoilage in foods.
According to estimates, the global food demand is expected to reach over 10 billion tons in 2030 and around 14 billion tons in 2050.
- Growing Usage of Paraben in Medical Industry- Parabens are man-made chemicals that are often used in small amounts as preservatives in a variety of pharmaceutical formulations, including solid oral, parenteral, and topical formulations.
Challenges
- Health and environmental concerns associated with the usage of paraben – Individuals can be exposed to parabens by touching, swallowing, or eating products containing them, which can damage fertility and reproductive organs, affect birth outcomes, and increase the risk of cancer since they hey act like the hormone estrogen in the body. Propylparaben may alter the expression of genes containing breast cancer cells, and parabens when combined with other estrogenic chemicals, can affect the development of melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Moreover, allergic reactions is a risk associated with the use of parabens in functional cosmetics and personal care products, especially if any person has sensitive, damaged, or scarred skin. Parabens can even cause dermatitis, a severe skin irritation, can cause the skin to age faster, and increase the production of estrogen, which can lead to estrogen-positive breast cancer and fertility problems in men.
- In addition, parabens can also cause great harm to the environment, as it has also been linked to ecological damage, as it can kill corals. Moreover, parabens released into the environmental compartment can cause serious environmental pollution penetrate living organisms, and damage various internal organs.
- Stringent regulations and bans in several countries- For instance, the European Union (EU) bans the use of five parabens as preservatives in cosmetics since they are connected to reproductive problems.
- Shift towards natural cosmetic products may limit the demand for synthetic preservatives such as parabens
