What To Look For in A Baby Moisturiser
With the many moisturising lotions and creams available in the market today, keep in mind that checking the ingredients is key when choosing the moisturiser that will work best for your child’s skin condition.
When you touch your baby’s soft and smooth skin, you probably think it’s too perfect to need a moisturiser. The truth is even the flawless skin of your little one needs to be moisturised daily. While you might think that it may just be another unnecessary expense, getting the right moisturizer is good for your child’s skin.
According to an article on infant skin barrier published in the Dermatology Research Practice journal, the skin of a newborn is surprisingly drier compared with that of adults. Though their skin looks perfect on the outside, it still needs to be moisturised. Likewise, given that skin continues to develop through the first year, it is critical to maintain skin barrier function even while your child is still a baby. An impaired skin barrier may lead to an increasing transepidermal water loss, which is associated with various kinds of skin disorder. Thus, it is advisable to apply moisturiser on your child’s skin to maintain skin barrier function and to improve skin hydration.
What’s inside the moisturiser?
As there are so many moisturiser brands for infants and children nowadays, choosing the right moisturiser for your child can be overwhelming. Thus, it is helpful to understand what’s inside the moisturisers you see in the market nowadays.
According to an article on the role of moisturisers published in Clinical Medicine and Research journal, moisturisers may contain the following active ingredients: emollients (with ceramides and essential lipids), humectants, and occlusives. Emollients contribute to skin softness and smoothness. Humectants enhance water absorption from the dermis into the epidermis and help the skin absorb water from the external environment in humid conditions. On the other hand, occlusives reduce transepidermal water loss by creating a hydrophobic barrier over the skin.
Table 1: Key ingredients to look for in a good moisturiser
| Types of Moisturisers | Functions | Active Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| Emollients (with ceramides and essential lipids) | Helps to rebuild the skin’s protective barrier. Induce epidermal cell growth and replenishes lost skin lipids | Pseudoceramides • Hydroxypropyl bispalmitamide MEA, ceramide NS, ceramide AS, ceramide AP, ceramide EOP, etc. Free Fatty Acids • Stearic, linoleic, oleic, lauric acid, isostearic, palmitic acids, omega-3 or omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids Cholesterol |
| Humectants | Enhance water absorption from the dermis into the epidermis and help the skin absorb water from external environment in humid conditions | Urea, sorbitol, panthenol, glycerol, propylene glycol, hyaluronic acid, alpha hydroxy acids |
| Occlusives | Reduce transepidermal water loss by creating a hydrophobic barrier over the skin | Mineral oil, petroleum jelly, beeswax, silicones, zinc oxide |
Choose a moisturiser based on your child’s skin condition
While you might be convinced to pick the most popular brand of moisturiser you see in the market, keep in mind that your choice of moisturiser should be based on the skin condition of your child and the ingredients of the moisturiser.
Choose a moisturiser based on the ingredients that will work best for the skin condition of your child.
If your child has normal skin, you’ll have no problem choosing from a wide range of over-the-counter moisturisers. However, if your child has dry and sensitive skin, be extra careful in choosing a moisturiser. Stay clear of moisturisers with strong fragrances and colourants as these may cause skin irritations. Avoid moisturisers that contain alcohol as it may cause the skin to dry.
For dry & sensitive skin, a moisturiser with occlusive and humectant ingredients will work best. When combined, occlusives and humectants enhance the water-holding capacity of your child’s skin. You can try a moisturiser like Ceradan® Hydra Moisturiser, which contains humectants like glycerin and butylene glycol, as well as occlusive like beeswax and cholesterol. Additionally, this alcohol-free and fragrance-free hydrating moisturiser is formulated with an optimal 3:1:1 ratio of ceramide, cholesterol and free fatty acids that help reinforce a healthy skin barrier.
If your child is suffering from skin conditions like eczema, hydrating the skin isn’t enough. You need to look for a moisturiser that not only hydrates but also helps rebuild skin barrier. Eczema results from skin barrier defects and can be treated using a ceramide-dominant emollient like Ceradan® Skin Barrier Repair Cream. This moisturiser cream is scientifically designed with lipid ratio of 3:1:1, that helps replenish the lacking ceramide in the skin. It is safe even for a newborn’s skin.
When choosing a moisturiser for your little one, remember to look beyond the brand name and the price. You have to carefully check the ingredients of the moisturiser and consider the skin condition of your baby. Choose a moisturiser for your child that can improve skin hydration and maintain a healthy skin barrier.
References:
The Infant Skin Barrier: Can We Preserve, Protect, and Enhance the Barrier?
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/drp/2012/198789/
The Role of Moisturizers in Addressing Various Kinds of Dermatitis: A Review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5849435/
Moisturizers: Do they work?
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/moisturizers-do-they-work
Moisturizers: What They Are and a Practical Approach to Product Selection
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2a5f/2cbc8c9989b77910619b9d0ba6e7b768aea5.pdf
The Use of Emollients for Atopic Eczema
https://austinpublishinggroup.com/allergy/download.php?file=fulltext/aja-v2-id1018.pdf
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