Parabens
E214, E215, E218, E219
E214, INS 214, ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate, ethylparaben, E215, INS 215, sodium ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate, sodium ethylparaben, E218, INS 218, methyl p-hydroxybenzoate, methylparaben, E219, INS 219, sodium methyl p-hydroxybenzoate, sodium methylparaben, para-hydroxybenzoates, parabens, PHB, parabenos, etilparabeno, metilparabeno
What it is
Parabens are preservatives that slow the growth of mould and yeast. This food fiche covers ethylparaben, methylparaben and their sodium salts: E214, E215, E218 and E219.
Why BOTIA flags it
Parabens preserve food by stopping mould and yeast. They are far better known from cosmetics, while their use in food is much narrower and they appear far less often on food labels. Not all parabens behave the same: JECFA kept a group ADI of 0–10 mg/kg body weight for methyl and ethyl parabens, but later excluded propylparaben after different effects appeared in animal studies.
BOTIA CAN
- Detect E214, E215, E218, E219, their INS numbers and the methylparaben or ethylparaben names when explicitly declared.
- Explain that methyl and ethyl parabens share a JECFA group ADI, while propylparaben was later excluded because it produced different effects in animal studies.
BOTIA CANNOT
- Treat every substance called a paraben as if it had the same evidence or the same intake limit.
- Determine the amount present from the ingredient list or transfer concerns from cosmetic exposure directly to a particular food.