Can propylparaben in lotion and shampoo damage your daughter'\''s and granddaughter'\''s egg supply before they'\''re even born?
Avoid. Prenatal propylparaben exposure causes diminished ovarian reserve that transmits to the next two generations — meaning the eggs you were born with may already be affected by your grandmother'\''s paraben use.
What's actually in it
Propylparaben is a preservative in most conventional lotions, shampoos, conditioners, and cosmetics. It's one of the most common parabens. It absorbs through skin and has estrogenic activity. Pregnant women who use these products expose their developing baby — including the baby's own developing eggs.
A female fetus already contains her lifetime supply of eggs by the time she's born. They were all formed during fetal development. If those eggs are damaged, she's born with a smaller egg reserve.
What the research says
A 2025 study in Nat Commun exposed pregnant mice to propylparaben and measured ovarian reserve across three generations. The first-generation daughters had diminished ovarian reserve (fewer viable eggs). So did their daughters — the granddaughters of the exposed mice.
The damage transmitted through epigenetic changes, not DNA mutations. Propylparaben altered how genes involved in ovarian development are expressed, and those changes were inherited. This is the first study to show a common consumer chemical can harm reproductive capacity across multiple generations.
Propylparaben is on labels as "propylparaben" — check every personal care product you use during pregnancy. Switch to paraben-free alternatives. See non-toxic home essentials for paraben-free personal care options.
The research at a glance
| Study | Journal | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Transgenerational inheritance of diminished ovarian reserve triggered by prenatal propylparaben exposure in mice. | Nat Commun | 2025 |
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