Parabens and Paraben derivatives are used by cosmetic chemists in products as a cheap form of preservative.  Preservatives are important in cosmetics as they protect consumers from harmful pathogens that would otherwise invade the creams and products people use on a daily basis. Without preservatives all cosmetics would have a very short shelf life and would, in the most part, have to be stored in a fridge.  Parabens and paraben derivatives, provide value for money to you the customer.
Parabens have been receiving bad press since the late 70s. The potential problem with parabens and their derivatives is they may leak into the body through the skin’s surface.
Having said that, the EU and FDA regulations, parabens in their current form still consider them to be safe to use, since cosmetic products only use a very small concentration of these ingredients in their formulas.
Since they are still “perceived” to be nasty,  we have chosen not use parabens or paraben derivatives in our formulae.