Making Sense of Baby Skin Care Product Labels
April 24, 2009
(Note: Post a comment below and get a chance to win a Gift Pack from Episencial – US & Canada only!)
by Kim Walls
The key to making healthy choices for your baby is to know a few simple words and what they mean (or don’t mean). The language of labels is generally regulated by the government, but labels can be very confusing if you don’t understand the basic principles of ingredients and healing modalities. Words like “green”, “holistic”, “ayurvedic”, and “aromatherapeutic”, all have a very specific meaning, but because the popularity of these concepts is fairly new, the definitions can be vague and confusing.
The purest, safest, most effective personal care products are all natural, organic, green, animal friendly, and extra gentle. Thankfully, government regulations require the truth in labeling to provide consumers with information about what is in a product and how it was made. The problem for you is that labelers, like lawyers, have their own way of saying things. The bottom line is that you need to know how to read the labels.
The products you use to cleanse, massage, treat damaged skin, and take care of your baby’s comfort and hygiene should be as pure as a baby itself. Ingredients used to formulate grooming products should be simple, natural, minimally processed, and therapeutic. By chopping, mashing, separating, infusing, pressing or liquefying different plant and mineral materials, raw ingredients are created and then combined to make a market-ready toiletry product.
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A major product ingredient to avoid is mineral oil and other petroleum byproducts that can coat the skin like plastic, clogging the pores and interfering with the skin’s ability to eliminate toxins. The use of mineral oil can promote acne and other skin disorders and can decrease skin function and cellular development. Other petroleum byproducts to avoid include liquidum paraffinum, paraffin oil and paraffin wax.
Ingredients that provide good lubrication for delicate baby skin are wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, avocado oil, plant-sourced squalane or olive fruit oil. Many of these are powerful antioxidants too. They lubricate without clogging pores, increasing oxygen and nutrient capacity. By looking for natural ingredients like these you can avoid irritation and support the health growth of your baby’s delicate skin.
About the Author: Kimberly Walls is the creator of the Epicuren Baby™ skincare products and philosophy. A second generation skincare clinician from the family that developed the world-renowned Epicuren® anti-aging skincare products, she now uses her expertise to develop specialized skincare for children under the age of 5.
To find out more information: www.episencial.com
photo credit: ryanrocketship
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It’s amazing the number of health care products that have mineral oil and petroleum. I saw a survivalist use petroleum jelly to light a fire. That should be a wake up call.
My kids have really sensitive skin and using the right bath time products makes a big difference. So many of the products on store shelves make their skin issues worse.
I know I am always checking labels trying to figure out what is safe for my son’s skin and not. He has sensitive skin and get rashes on his legs. the doctors want me to use steroid cream onit but I found that looking for natural products has helped without side effects. Thanks for the information you are providing us it is very helpful.
I’ve been contemplating how to find healthy products for baby (including cleaning products!)
Thanks for the great advice and I think I will definitley check products at local stores for those ingredients!
Not only soaps, but the thousands of baby wipes moms throw away yearly contain harmful petroleum and alcohol based chemicals. It’s alarming to read the ingredients- many of which I can’t pronounce half the time; that we’re soaking our children in on a daily basis.