Much like shopping for creamy body lotions that’ll give your skin much-needed hydration, perusing brands with gentle formulas that’ll provide nourishment is key for your baby.
For one, you have to be extremely careful about what you apply to your baby’s skin. You may have heard the phrase, “as smooth as a baby’s bum” — that’s because baby skin is known for being ultra-soft, so they don’t need a laundry list of 50+ ingredients, after all.
“Moisturizers are important to support the health of the skin barrier, which can help to minimize eczema and other skin issues like diaper rash,” Hadley King, MD, NYC-based board-certified dermatologist, told the New York Post. “It should always be used after a bath, and other times of the day as needed.”
Ahead, Dr. King shares more insight into baby lotions to learn before you buy in our in-depth FAQ section, along with detailing the top 8 formulations she approves of. When it comes to your baby, especially, here are quality brands offering cloud-like formulations that you’ll feel comfortable using.
“This is a nice formulation that contains humectants, emollients and occlusives,” King says. “It’s also free of fragrances, phthalates and parabens and the ingredients are hypoallergenic.”
What’s more, it also contains colloidal oatmeal, which has skin-protectant properties.
This is another nice formulation that contains humectants, emollients and occlusives. “It’s free of parabens, phthalates and fragrance,” King notes. “And, it contains niacinamide, which can help to calm the skin.”
3. Johnson’s Bedtime Lotion, $7 to $10
According to Hadley, the Johnson’s Bedtime Lotion contains humectants, emollients and occlusives — meeting her criteria. It’s also free of phthalates and parabens and is beloved by nearly 13,000 parents and caregivers on Amazon.
You guessed it — the Baby Dove Hypoallergenic Lotion for Face & Body contains humectants, emollients and occlusives and is also free of fragrances, phthalates and parabens. Even better, it’s claimed to soothe the baby’s skin for up to 24 hours and is suitable for eczema-prone skin.
The Pipette Fragrance-Free Baby Lotion is an affordable option that still contains humectants, emollients and occlusives while being void of phthalates and parabens. “And, it’s vegan and cruelty-free,” King notes, vetting the product.
Tubby Todd has been receiving much acclaim from parents and caregivers — and for a good reason. Its thoughtfully curated catalog of baby care items is top-notch and approved by King.
“It contains humectants, emollients and occlusives,” she says. “It’s free of phthalates and parabens and there’s a fragrance-free option.” However, the Lavender + Rosemary scent is a light blend that works well on sensitive skin, after testing.
While the Earth Mama Sweet Orange Baby Lotion is ultra-hydrating, keep in mind that the second ingredient is olive oil — King points out — so it may not be the best for super sensitive skin. However, it’s made without preservatives or artificial fragrance.
“Oleic acid, or omega-9 fatty acid, is naturally found in human sebum,” King describes. “Our sebaceous glands create it to coat the skin, providing moisture and a protective barrier. But oleic acid can [sometimes] be disruptive to skin barrier function.”
This product is vegan and soothing, so we recommend trying a bit on your hand before rubbing it all over the body — like any other product you’d use.
“This contains humectants and emollients,” Hadley shares. “This will be a light option so may not be the best choice for dry or eczema-prone skin.” Wonderfully, it’s free of parabens and phthalates, making it dermatologist-approved.
An FAQ on Baby Lotions
Ahead, King gives us the 411 on baby lotions — from ingredients to look for and avoid and what to keep in mind for different skin conditions your baby may have.
What ingredients to look for in a baby lotion
According to King, moisturizers should contain a combination of humectants to hydrate the skin, along with emollients to support the skin barrier and occlusives to lock in moisture. Ahead, she explains these three ingredients:
- Humectants: like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, are mostly low molecular weight substances that bind water into the stratum corneum. They need to be used along with the other components in order to retain the water content.
- Emollients: These are saturated and unsaturated variable length hydrocarbons which help in skin barrier function, membrane fluidity and cell signaling leading to overall improvement in skin texture and appearance. They’re often used in combination with emulsifiers. Examples include cholesterol, squalene, fatty acids, fatty alcohols and ceramides.
- Occlusives: These are oils and waxes which form an inert layer on the skin and physically block trans-epidermal water loss. Examples include petrolatum, beeswax, mineral oil, silicones, lanolin and zinc oxide.
What ingredients to avoid in a baby lotion
Avoid ingredients that could cause irritation or allergy. For this reason, these baby lotions are often fragrance-free.
“Remember to look for a label that says fragrance free rather than unscented because unscented products can contain masking fragrances,” King notes.
Avoid comedogenic ingredients, lalong with oxybenzone, too. Oxybenzone is a chemical sunscreen ingredient that absorbs UV light. It has been linked to irritation, sensitization and allergies.
Oxybenzone is a chemical sunscreen ingredient that absorbs UV light. It has been linked to irritation, sensitization and allergies.
“In a study of more than 400 New York City women in the third trimester of pregnancy, a higher maternal concentration of oxybenzone was associated with a decreased birth weight among newborn baby girls, and with greater birth weight in newborn boys. Studies on cells and laboratory animals indicate that oxybenzone and its metabolites may disrupt the endocrine system,” she points out.
Phthalates and parabens are ingredients that have been linked to endocrine disruption that can be found in moisturizers as well, King adds.
What does hypoallergenic really mean?
Hypoallergenic means “less likely to cause allergic contact dermatitis or other skin allergies,” Hadley notes. “But, there aren’t necessarily standardized tests or procedures to determine these properties.”
How does baby lotion differ from rash cream?
A baby lotion should be a moisturizer that contains humectants, emollients and occlusives, according to King, while a cream for treating a rash can be a moisturizer that also contains anti-inflammatory ingredients like hydrocortisone or anti-yeast ingredients if there’s a component of yeast causing the rash.
“A cream for helping to prevent diaper rash is a barrier cream that contains occlusives (commonly zinc oxide) to prevent moisture, urine or feces from irritating the skin,” she adds.
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