Parabens are artificial preservatives used in almost every toiletry product to prolong shelf-life. A natural organic product will have a shelf life of usually between six months and a year, by adding parabens and other preservatives the cosmetic companies can make that same product last for sometimes up to six years. This helps with production quotas, ease of storage and so on. Unfortunately, no one can actually say whether parabens are harmful for the body, or not. The cosmetics industry states that they are not harmful in any way, but cannot prove their claim, when challenged to do so. There is a study being carried out right now by a European Commission into parabens and their widespread use, their findings should be interesting. I don't use them, and don't buy products with them in if I can avoid it, simply because there is no evidence for their safety. So I err on the side of caution.