After nine comfortable months in warm amniotic fluid, your baby’s skin is sweet and soft. Once the umbilical cord and belly button have healed and you start bathing your baby, you may notice that their skin has become dry and sensitive. A good moisturizing lotion helps keep your child’s skin hydrated. Of course, you also want a moisturizer that meets your fragrance preferences and meets your budget constraints. It’s too demanding, and few baby moisturizers meet the needs of discerning parents!
1. The Honest Company Organic All-Purpose Balm
This Honest Company lotion has the consistency of a thick balm or salve but without the greasy residue. Part of the reason is that Honest Balm doesn’t use petroleum, mineral oil, or lanolin elements, so there’s minimal stickiness, residue, allergens, or toxicity concerns. In addition, almost all of the ingredients are USDA organic ingredients. Parents note that this ointment works very well when used as a diaper ointment instead of oil. The all-purpose balm absorbs quickly and doesn’t just sit on your baby’s skin. Some other parents have noticed that the product is very effective in treating dry, scaly skin and eczema, and even seems to help reduce some itching. This is one of our favorite products in terms of ingredients and efficacy.
While Honest Company baby cream is not included in the EWG database, we looked at its ingredients: they were all rated Class 1 for toxicity, which is very reassuring with minimal or no toxicity. However, the downside is that it’s also the most expensive product on this list. A 3.4-ounce tube of all-purpose balm costs just over $12, making the product nearly $3.58 per ounce! Since the balm is thick, it is not easy to squeeze out all the product, which means that some expensive balms may be wasted. A pro tip is to cut the tube when it is “empty” and scoop the remaining product into the suitcase to avoid wasting this precious baby balm.
2. Earth Mama Simply Non-Scents Baby Lotion
Earth Mama fragrance-free lotion is the first organic emulsion to be certified to the NSF/ANSI 305 standard for personal care products: no petroleum, mineral oil, parabens, or artificial fragrances. Due to its carefully selected high-quality ingredients, it’s no surprise that this is one of the more expensive products on this list. This lotion costs almost $8 for an 15-ounce bottle, which equates to nearly $2 per ounce. Fragrance-free is an important feature for some parents and children who are easily overwhelmed by strong odors, and since babies also tend to have sensitive skin, we think odorless is a good choice for baby lotion. This lotion is very thin and glides on smoothly. Within about five minutes, the smallest oiliness is absorbed and skin feels soft and clean. When our baby had a slight rash in her convertible car seat on a longer summer road trip, we used some of this product on her arms and legs and the effect worked like a charm.
Overall, it’s a great product for healthy, supple skin that feels great to apply and smells like, you guessed it, nothing! For ingredients, the EWG Skin Deep database rates the product as Level 1 with minimal or no harm. There are some slight concerns about organic aloe vera leaf juice, which can be adversely affected if consumed. In addition, glyceryl oleate can irritate the skin, eyes, or lungs, so it is recommended to test it when using the product for the first time (if your baby’s skin is super sensitive). Please note that there are also some ingredients in fragrance-free lotions that are not biodegradable and/or potentially harmful to the environment, including cetyl alcohol and glyceryl monostearate. In addition to that, we think this is an excellent fragrance-free baby lotion that works well to soothe mildly to moderately dry skin.
3. California Baby Calming Everyday Lotion
The smell of this lotion – the aroma of clary sage is very strong, and parents have mixed reactions. Some people like it, some people hate it! When it comes to sage, there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground, and (like cilantro) we think it smells good. The California Baby is one of the most expensive products on this list, with a 6.5-ounce locking pump bottle selling for $16.68, making this lotion more than $2.50 per ounce. Some parents claim to have found it at a lower price in some large stores. The lotion has a thin texture and absorbs quickly, leaving hands feeling smooth without any greasy residue. We think it works really well for sensitive and dry skin and we would use it every day if not for the price.
In terms of ingredients, this lotion has an EWG score of 1, which means minimal or no harm. Many of the ingredients in California Baby Sedative Lotion are certified organic. In addition, this vegan lotion contains a variety of ingredients derived from coconut, including cetyl alcohol, which would otherwise raise ethical issues when it comes from animals. Similar to Earth Mama’s natural unscented lotion, there is little reason to panic about the potential harm of aloe vera leaf juice addition and consumption. This is reflected in the EWG Skin Deep overall score, which is less toxic. Please note that there are some ingredients in California baby lotion that are not biodegradable and/or potentially harmful to the environment, including cetyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, glyceryl monostearate, and caprylic/capric triglyceride. Overall, if you don’t mind the smell of sage, you’ll love this lotion and may find it perfect for babies with very sensitive, dry skin.
4. Aquaphor Healing Ointment Baby Advanced Therapy
While the risk of contamination with petroleum jelly is a concern, we have been impressed with the long-term quality testing of brands that Aquaphor is familiar with. In addition, the 2017 ProVoice survey ranked Aquaphor Healing Ointment as the number one brand recommended by dermatologists for dry, cracked skin and minor wound care. A 14-ounce can sells for just over $13, making the product less than $1 per ounce, and the jar can can easily use every drop. The product has a 41% petroleum content and other ingredients such as oils and moisturizers are also added, so unlike popular 100% petroleum salves, Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment is more easily absorbed into the skin while forming a thin protective barrier. This ointment was recommended by a pediatrician to one of our test mums for the treatment of her two-year-old son who suffers from severe eczema. She was unable to use scented lotions or creams because he would experience severe rashes. Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment was the only solution that would heal his skin without causing more irritation.
Overall, we like the low EWG hazard score of 2, but there are some outliers in the ingredient list. Specifically, glycerol (EWG score 2), which may have a laxative effect if consumed in large amounts; Lanolin alcohol (EWG score 3), derived from lanolin glands and/or wool, is classified as an ingredient of moderate concern for allergic reactions and petroleum jelly (EWG score 4), also known as petroleum jelly, is the only active ingredient in this Aquaphor ointment. Oil is also listed as the highest potential hazard in terms of organ system toxicity (non-reproductive) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination. This is a common ingredient in many cosmetics and skincare products that do not present known health problems when properly and adequately refined. “However, in the United States, petroleum jelly is often not fully refined, which means it can be contaminated with a toxic chemical called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).” PAH has been linked to carcinogenic hazards. Overall, we think this Aquaphor treatment ointment is ideal for babies with moderate to severe dry skin. It does leave a somewhat greasy layer on the skin, which can be key to its protective properties.