In 2018, the Institute of Moms carried out a study on moms’ favorite “child care” brands. Cadum, Mustela and Nivea topped the list. Great brands that we all know and can inspire confidence in many. Their arguments: natural product, respectful of the skin, the environment, recyclable…
I think we can all agree that as parents we want the best products for our baby. So I suggest you analyze the composition of a product from each of its brands in order to see where and how these brands try to fool consumers through healthwashing and/or greenwashing.
I strongly advocate messages in favor of a positive and caring ecology and I avoid anxiety-provoking messages, but here I think it is important to remember why these products are bad for health and the planet.
CADUM: Soap-free Body and Hair Gel
First product called to the bar: Cadum’s soap-free body and hair gel with organic sweet almond oil.
And I emphasize the word ORGANIC.
For information, Cadum was voted mothers’ favorite brand in 2018.
Firstly, the brand informs us that it is a soap-free gel which gently cleanses baby’s fragile and delicate skin.
“Specialist in softness since 1907”, we are guaranteed a composition and ingredients that respect the delicate skin of our little ones. Paraben-free, gentle and hypoallergenic, this product seems to have been formulated to minimize any risk of allergy.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and take a look at the composition of this super organic cleansing gel.
AQUA / WATER, SUCROSE, SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE, GLYCERIN, COCO-BETAINE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, PPG-5-CETETH-20, PARFUM / FRAGRANCE, SODIUM BENZOATE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, PRUNUS AMYGDALUS DULCIS OIL / SWEET ALMOND OIL, CITRIC ACID, POLYSORBATE 20. (FIL C187360/2)
The list is relatively short, although incomprehensible to ordinary mortals.
For those who are not used to this exercise, this is called the INCI list: International Nomenclature of Cosmetics Ingredient. The ingredients listed are noted in descending order of their presence in the product. Knowing that the components present below 1% can be indicated out of order at the end of the list.
That being said, isn’t there anything that shocks you? “Sweet Almond Oil”, in other words our famous organic sweet almond oil, only comes in penultimate position. While we are told about it as being the main benefit of this product. There is therefore a good chance that it is only present in this product at 1%. This is called false advertising.
By the way, where is the organic certification which guarantees us that the product is indeed organic?? Well there isn’t any! Quite simply because it is not the formulation that is organic, but only the sweet almond oil which is in it…up to 1%…
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Without further ado, let’s get to the heart of the matter! There are three risky ingredients in this product. Starting with the wonderful Sodium Laureth Sulfate, visibly very present in this composition, after the water.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a surfactant, often present in foaming cosmetics. It is also often made from palm oil, which – as we know well – is toxic to health and the environment.
Long used in industrial cleaning products, this ingredient has super detergent power. It is therefore irritating, even very irritating, and can cause serious skin problems. Yes, SLS literally strips the surface of the epidermis by eliminating part of our skin’s natural hydrolipidic film. In conclusion, this gel is anything but gentle as Cadum guarantees.
Repeated use of this product will only weaken and dehydrate baby’s skin. On the other hand, this product is great for encouraging parents to consume more and to overcome their little one’s dry skin problems…
The PP4-5-Ceteth
In 8th position, we find the PP4-5-Ceteth. We feel the scam coming with this name to lie outside. It is an emulsifying agent, artificial surfactant, which is one of the ethoxylated compounds.
Well, in itself, it seems that it is not a dangerous product. BUT, its manufacturing process clearly leaves something to be desired.
To put it simply, Polypropylene Glycol comes from an extremely toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic gas which is ethylene oxide. However, it appears that no trace of this component is present in the finished product.
On the other hand, it could be contaminated by another substance: 1,4-dioxane, potentially carcinogenic and irritant.
To choose, we wonder which is better… Anyway, the major problem with this ingredient is that it makes the skin more permeable to other harmful substances.
Moreover, I would like to make a small link with the organic label, since it is an ingredient completely excluded from the manufacturing processes of organic labels. A nice bullshit eh! Without forgetting that this ingredient is not biodegradable once released into nature via pipes.
The perfume
An essential part of certain cosmetic products is fragrance. The problem with perfumes is that you never know what’s in them. Except that it is a mixture of chemicals, phthalates, artificial musks and controversial allergenic and irritating substances. These are not natural essential oils that are used here I am sure!
In conclusion, what is certain is that this product contains at least 6 synthetic ingredients and that we are far from ingredients that are respectful of delicate skin.
MUSTELA: Stelatopia Emollient Balm
Second to appear, an emollient face and body treatment from the Mustela brand. This is the baby hygiene and care brand best known to parents. But what are their baby products worth?
Firstly, we are told that this product is suitable from birth, including for infants discharged from neonatology. Guaranteed without paraben, phthalate and phenoxyethanol, Mustela is committed to giving priority to ingredients of natural origin through this product.
According to the brand, this balm hydrates and soothes itching, restores the skin barrier of atopic-prone skin, strengthens the skin’s natural defenses and preserves cellular capital. It sells dreams. But what about reality?
AQUA /WATER/EAU, GLYCERIN, PETROLATUM, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, SUCROSE DISTEARATE, DEXTRIN, COPERNICIA CERIFERA CERA (COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX )/CARNAUBA WAX, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL UNSAPONIFIABLES , PRUNUS DOMESTICA SEED EXTRACT, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, SUCROSE STEARATE, CANDELILLA CERA (EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX)/ CANDELLILA WAX, SQUALANE, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, HYDROXYETHYL ACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE COPOLYMER, XANTHAN G UM, GLUCOSE, SORBITOL, CITRIC ACID, POLYSORBATE 60, SORBITAN STEARATE, PERSEA GRATISSIMA (AVOCADO) FRUIT EXTRACT, CERAMIDE NP, PHYTOSPHINGOSINE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE.
A rather long INCI list, not very reassuring. But as we saw with our first example, it’s not the size that matters.
The Petrolatum
Besides the fact that this word strangely resembles a spell straight from Hogwarts, I can assure you that it will annoy you. So what is Petrolatum? Well the answer is in the question: oil.
More precisely, a mineral oil resulting from the distillation and refining of fossil fuels. Crude oil, coal, oil shale, in any case nothing that can hydrate or strengthen the skin’s cellular defenses.
An occlusive component, petrolatum forms a film on the surface of the skin which:
clogs pores and sebaceous orifices
absolutely does not nourish the skin, but dehydrates it
irritates and is very polluting
Cyclopentasiloxane
Cousin of Cyclotetrasiloxane, it is an emollient, an endocrine disruptor used to soften the skin and which is harmful to the environment.
Cyclotetrasiloxane is a substance toxic to human reproduction, carcinogenic and completely banned in cosmetics. On the other hand, cyclopentasiloxane is only prohibited in sprays and aerosols. Reassuring…
In truth, its quantity is limited to 0.1% in cosmetics dedicated to washing, since traces of cyclotetrasiloxane are found in its formula.
Furthermore, this ingredient has been shown to be toxic to aquatic organisms that ingest it. It is also a component which should tend to disappear from our cosmetics. In the meantime, be wary of any ingredients ending in siloxane or methicone.
NIVEA: Soft & Cream Wipes
Of all these brands that I was able to analyze, Nivea definitely gets the gold medal for the least safe baby care. And their famous soft & cream wipes are clearly one of the baby wipes to avoid!
Cleansing and soothing, the brand promises to immediately take care of our children’s irritated and delicate skin.
Before even properly analyzing its composition, be aware that this product represents a significant risk for children aged 0 to 3 years according to the Federal Consumer Union – What to choose.
AQUA, PARAFFINUM LIQUIDUM, VP/HEXADECENE COPOLYMER, SODIUM ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, HYDROXYACETOPHENONE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, PHENOXYETHANOL, BENZYL ALCOHOL, PARFUM
Paraffinium Liquidum
Another petrochemical derivative, Paraffinium Liquidium is part of the Petrolum family, with additional laxative effects. One thing is certain, don’t eat it!
Synthetic hydrocarbon, this component is occlusive for the skin. Worse still, in the long term it can unbalance the natural flora and obviously dry out the skin.
It is neither ecological nor biocompatible. Which concretely means that it has no moisturizing contribution. On the other hand, it can irritate and we are only at the second ingredient on this list…
Phenoxyethanol
Another endocrine disruptor, phenoxyethanol is a preservative. Today, European regulations prohibit its presence in more than 1% in formulas. And for good reason.
This component is part of the glycol ether family, resulting from the distillation of petroleum. In addition to the fact that it is very toxic to humans, it can be responsible for sterility, congenital malformations, abnormalities in the menstrual cycle and so on.
Also the downside is that it is very easily absorbed into the skin. That is to say, it can have neurotoxic effects or cause neurological disorders.
Benzyl Alcohol
Last champion on our list, Benzyl Alcohol. This is present naturally in certain plants and also exists in synthetic form. In truth, this ingredient is not dangerous or toxic in itself.
However, it can prove to be allergenic and irritating, particularly in infants, if it is synthetic! It is potentially carcinogenic, neurotoxic and dangerous for the environment.
GOOD REFLEXES TO ADOPT
So to the question: which brand of baby toiletry product to choose? Well, you’ll have to figure out the composition before buying! In the “ingredients to avoid in my baby care” category, the nominees are:
Methylisothiazolinone : apart from the fact that it is unpronounceable, it is a component used to replace paraben (beware of the slogan “paraben-free”). In particular, it can cause significant allergies;
Phenoxyethanol : for the reasons mentioned above;
Perfume : yes, we’ll stop with perfume, it smells good, but it’s not good for baby and the development of his sense of smell.
That’s not all, also pay attention to “moderate risk” components. Among other things, we find our friends mineral oils. Or ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), a potentially irritating component.
We don’t trust hypoallergenic claims and other marketing arguments. Because yes, unfortunately marketing doesn’t care about lying to you, it wants to sell.
We favor organic labels. But be careful, the word “organic” is not a guarantee of quality. Do you remember Cadum super cleansing gel with organic sweet almond oil? Nope. You really need to look to see if there is a label on the product and its organic percentage.
Finally, we limit our consumption of cosmetic products for babies. A child with healthy skin does not need so many creams, micellar water, washing gel, etc.
A good homemade liniment (or not, for that matter), preferably organic and with few ingredients is great for a change!
For our part, with Ysé, we chose the Babylena brand liniment (while waiting to make our own) which only contains olive oil, lime water and beeswax. It is certified organic and is very economical because you only need to use a little to clean the stools. For pee, we only used water. And all this with washable wipes. For the bath it’s Nature et Progrès certified organic cleansing gel but we’re going to switch to cold saponified bar soap.
And we never had any issues with redness or irritation on his skin.
To form your own opinion on the products you have at home, Que Choisir? is a clear and completely effective tool.
And you, have you had any problems with baby care products?