Parabens in Your Moisturizer May Affect Fertility Across Generations

A common preservative in your face wash may be damaging ovarian function. Not just in you. Potentially in your daughter and granddaughter too. That's what a 2025 study in Nature Communications found in mice.

What Researchers Discovered

The study, published in Nature Communications (Li et al., 2025), exposed pregnant mice to propylparaben at doses relevant to human exposure. The offspring (F1 generation) developed diminished ovarian reserve: fewer viable eggs, reduced anti-Müllerian hormone, and increased follicular death.

The researchers then bred F1 mice that were never directly exposed to parabens. Their offspring (F2) still showed diminished ovarian reserve. So did the F3 generation. The damage passed through three generations without any additional paraben exposure after the original pregnant mouse.

The mechanism: propylparaben caused persistent epigenetic changes, specifically hypomethylation of a gene called Rhobtb1, which then disrupted ovarian cell function.

Why This Matters for Women Today

Propylparaben is in thousands of personal care products sold right now: moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, makeup. The European Union restricts it in products applied to the diaper area of infants. The U.S. does not regulate it.

Diminished ovarian reserve is the leading cause of infertility in women under 40. The causes are multifactorial. But a preservative you apply every day is a variable you can control.

Browse non-toxic home essentials for personal care products made without parabens.

Also see non-toxic kitchen essentials for safer alternatives.

Source: Li M et al. (2025). Transgenerational inheritance of diminished ovarian reserve triggered by prenatal propylparaben exposure. Nat Commun.