Assessment of principal parabens used in cosmetics after their passage through human epidermis-dermis layers (ex-vivo study).

Concern is continuously raised about the safety of parabens which are present in most of the cosmetic preparations. In this investigation, methyl-, ethyl-, propyl- and butyl paraben (MP, EP, PP, BP), in a commercial cosmetic lotion, were deposited on human skin fragments, collected after surgical operations. Permeated parabens were determined after their passage through human epidermis-dermis layers, fixed on Franz diffusion cells.