A study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology has found that deodorants don't directly contribute to breast cancer. Researcher and reader in Oncology at the University of Reading Philippa D. Darbre said, however, that: 'Parabens are only one part of a much bigger picture.'

Exposure to p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) became of interest to cancer researchers around 10 years ago when studies found that parabens contained estrogenic properties. Estrogen is pinpointed as a fundamental building block in the development and growth of breast cancer.

Researchers looked at 160 breast-tissue samples from 40 patients who had undergone masectomy procedures for primary breast cancer and found that 99 per cent of samples had traces of parabens.

Importantly, seven of the women that partook in the study said that they had never used underarm products. Researchers concluded that this would suggest that the parabens came from other sources.

The study also pointed out that the incidence of cancer in the upper outer quadrant of the breast was higher. In all 40 patients, levels of parabens were higher in the axilla region (the area around the shoulder joint and armpit).

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