You don’t have to look far to realize there is a controversy surrounding the common group of skincare ingredients called “parabens.” Walk the aisles of your favorite drugstore and you will see “No Parabens” popping up on more and more labels; and just the other day a well-known Beauty Editor tweeted about a new product launch she was attending and commented, “I’m glad to see there are no parabens.” But just when it was looking like the consensus is that parabens are bad and don’t belong in skincare products, I read an article citing conflicting information. Are parabens not as bad as originally thought? It may help to start by explaining exactly what parabens are and why they are used in skin care. If you’ve ever read the ingredients list on your bottle of lotion, cream, or cleanser (and you should if you haven’t) there is a good chance the …