Are you familiar with ingredients in your baby products?

Have you read the ingredients on your commercially made baby soap, baby lotion or baby bath? Here are some ingredients that you might find there:

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a chemical surfactant and a detergent. It’s inexpensive to manufacture in a lab. It’s used in commercially made shampoos, baby washes and bubble baths. It can be irritating to a baby’s delicate skin.

Sodium Lauroamphoacetate is another surfactant; detergent based cleansing ingredient made in a lab. It helps boost lather in a formula, but it can be harsh. It’s used a lot in baby washes.

Sodium Dodecylbenzene Sulphonate – this is another surfactant. It’s used in a lot of clothes detergents. Some studies suggest that this may be a skin irritant; even in low doses. It is toxic to small marine organisms. The FDA allows this ingredient as a food additive.

Pentaerythrityl Tetradibutyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate is used as a preservative and some claim this ingredient to be an anti-oxidant. I have not seen any true studies on this ingredient as an anti-oxidant. It is used in moisturizers like baby lotions.

Propylene Glycol in pharmaceutical grade is different than the industrial grade that’s used to make antifreeze. It is used as a solvent and also in some foods. The FDA considers the pharmaceutical grade safe to use. In cosmetic uses it is a humectant, meaning it slows down evaporation of moisture from the skin.

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is an emollient, skin conditioning ingredient. It is also used as a thickener. It helps the product to feel less greasy. It is used in baby lotion, conditioners and some deodorants.

Dimethicone is a silicone based polymer. It is an anti-foaming agent and skin protectant. It creates an occlusive layer on the skin to help moisture from evaporating. Dimethicone is used in lots of products including baby lotions and other skin care products. It is also used as an anti-foaming ingredient in some food products.

Methylparaben, Propylparaben and Butylparaben are all preservatives. This is a personal issue and a personal choice. Some people are vehemently against them as they might possibly mimic estrogen. On the other hand, they make very effective preservatives, which inhibit germs, mold and bacteria.

The amount used in a skin care product is very small. It’s used as low as 0.3%. This means that if you buy commercial lotion that’s 16 ozs. the amount of parabens in there would be around 0.048 oz. That’s pretty small. If you buy store bought toothpaste, it most likely contains parabens. If you prefer products that are paraben free, look for ingredients like Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, or Phenoxyethanol & Caprylyl Glycol.

By the way, grapefruit seed extract is not a preservative nor is rosemary oleoresin extract. They are anti-oxidants and help extend the shelf life of other oils, but won’t preserve them.

Stay tuned for next week where I’ll tell you more about the good oils and butters that are used by artisans to make more natural products that are better for your baby.