Perfume in (Too Many) Baby Products
Previously I wrote that perfume is not meant to go on skin. Worse still, it is the number 1 allergen in skincare products. Above all it can cause premature skin ageing. So why is it in so many baby products?
In 2007 the Consumer Product Safety Authority (VWA) in the Netherlands carried out an investigation into skincare products for children (you can read the full report about children’s skincare products here – Dutch). The list of ingredients looked at, were taken from 355 skincare products for babies and pre- school children (under 3 years) and 400 products for children over 3 years.
Shocking figures!
The results of the investigation revealed that 88% of the products, for babies and children under 3 years, contained perfume. For children over 3 years the percentage was 78%. So from the 400 products 300 contained perfume.
Are all these baby products bad then?
Obviously there are some legal requirements that skincare products must meet. Certain substances that are conclusively proven to have a negative effect are not permitted to be used. On this basis the conclusion of the report is: “Apart from a few specific baby products, children run little risk”.
Perfume is not included in this list of ingredients which are prohibited. However it does state in the report that it is important for babies and young children, that no substances, which can lead to sensitization, are used (sensitivity, such as itching, redness or pimples). In my opinion this means no perfume in skincare products for children.
This report is from 2007, so hopefully since then there have been changes and otherwise, if not, it is high time for a new investigation to be carried out.
Regards Jetske
(Dr. Jetske Ultee-Research Physician and Head of The Skin Therapy Department)
You can read more about babycare,
how I protect my son from the sun,
the blog ‘Children Should Get Dirty’,
‘Natural Products; Safe or Not?’ and
‘Special Skincare for Men?’.