There are lots of chemical concerns about our grooming regimen, but apparently we have one less ingredient to be alarmed about – parabens.

Whether you spend a lot of time carefully choosing your moisturizers and shaving creme (reading product labels, checking the hazards of ingredients) and even if you don’t (pink!), you’ve probably heard of parabens. They’re the controversial little preservatives used in many cosmetic and personal care products from shampoos and soaps to creams and lotions.

Not only do they give these products shelf life, parabens contain antifungal and antibacterial properties that help keep the stuff you’re putting on your face and body from becoming your own little Petri dish of a science experiment.

The anti-paraben movement has been growing throughout the decade because of concerns linking the ingredients to developmental and reproductive toxicity as well as cancer concerns. Parabens have been found in tissue of breast cancer patients and have been found to mimic estrogen, which could disrupt endocrine function throughout the body.

The most recent research, however, by Europe’s Scientific Community on Consumer Safety – which by the way, is much more stringent than the FDA – tested parabens in rats and found that the preservatives are not able to produce a harmful effect on the body. The amounts used in cosmetics – usually less than 1 percent of the total product – are minimal, and when applied to the rats’ skin, they are only partially absorbed and completely metabolized before hitting the bloodstream. That means the harmful stuff isn’t getting under your skin.

The new study, of course, will probably lead to more tests and studies, which is all good news for us. For now, however, consumers will have to decide the greater risk: the parabens themselves or the Petri dish experiment they parabens would otherwise keep in check.