GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT

I was doing some research on the chemical preservative phenoxyethanol when I came across the book "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" by Gagik Melikyan, a must read for anyone who makes, sells or buys body products. (yes I bought and read it)

  Small Bio on Gagik Melikyan: Gagik Melikyan is a Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University Northridge in Los Angeles. He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the field of radical chemistry. Being a highly cited author, his research has culminated in 76 papers, reviews and book chapters on radical organic and organometallic chemistry, transition metal-mediated chemical transformations, computational chemistry, natural products syntheses, anticancer drug development, and non-steroidal hormones. A devoted educator and scientist who was awarded the Outstanding Faculty and Polished Apple Awards, he has educated and trained a whole generation of professionals working in the fields of chemistry, biology, and medicine. For many years he was involved, as an expert, in protecting the American public from harmful chemicals and environmental pollutants. In his book, he not only covers the dangers of certain chemicals in cosmetics, including parabens, but he also talks about antioxidants, foods and supplements. He claims to have written "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" after receiving numerous questions from his students on the latest "hot topics" like the use of parabens in cosmetics. He wanted to write a book for the layman to read and understand. “My concern is that people might be exploiting the public’s ignorance of a purely scientific issue, so I have written my book in the easiest terms possible so that the general public with no scientific background can understand it,” he said. You can find more information here about why Gagik wrote this book: CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS Excerpt from Amazon.com

An extraordinary book that provides compelling evidence that antioxidants, foods, supplements, cosmetics, and natural compounds can be harmful to the human body. It arms a layperson with the critical knowledge that will allow him/her to make educated choices and protect themselves and beloved ones from potentially hazardous substances.

The book is well written and although chemistry can be difficult to grasp the author does a great job of breaking down the science and making it as understandable as possible for the lay person. A few quotes on parabens from the book:

"The accumulation in the breast tissue, in particular in the breast cancer tissues, was experimentally established, and third, their estrogenicity, an ability to mimic natural estrogen, was also demonstrated. If all these data are not enough to raise a red flag, then what else can?"

"From a business point of view, it is understandable that products need to be protected from premature spoilage. The question is, "What is the price that consumers have been paying for it?"

He goes on to discuss what happens to chemicals when they enter the body. It is a very profound read for anyone who has taken the lack of oversite from the FDA on the cosmetic industry seriously. I appreciate this authors unbiased research and delivery of information to the public, the following quote says a great deal about his integrity:

"It is never easy to go against the flow, but I decided to do that because I consider it to be my civic duty, as a scientist," says Professor Melikyan.

Hopefully he's educating many more scientists like himself :)