An organic label on a baby care product is no guarantee
Growing concern over the toxicity of care products for the health of babies and young children has prompted many consumers to seek out allegedly safer organic products. Should you follow suit?
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French journalist and cosmetics specialist Laurence Wittner has written a book called “Les meilleurs produits de soins pour bébés et jeunes enfants” (The best care products for babies and young children), based on a list compiled by a group of independent experts.
What is an organic care product?
Laurence Wittner: It’s a personal care product that meets the demands of a charter drafted by several organizations. In short, it should contain 10% of organically grown ingredients and be devoid of pollutants suspected of being toxic chemicals. The percentage of natural ingredient isn’t taken into account. Therefore, certain organic cosmetics contain a substantial amount of chemicals.
Moreover, not all organic care products bear the organic label, as this would entail prohibitive costs to small businesses. It’s rather difficult to differentiate environmentally conscious, quality-oriented organic brands from those who just climb on the organic bandwagon selling products featuring green logos and bucolic pictures. So, I would recommend that anyone demanding a guarantee of organic origin go for labeled products.
Why do organic brands claim to be safer for baby’s skin?
Laurence Wittner: Because organic charters ban substances accused of posing long-term health risks to babies from entering the composition of these care products. These substances include perfumes and chemical solar filters, particularly paraben, which disrupt the endocrine system by altering hormonal functions and leading to possible malformations and/or sexual malfunctions, even to infertility problems.
The only trouble is that, in order to replace these ingredients, the brands make occasional use of other substances that can be dangerous for your baby: alcohol as preservative and some highly allergenic essential oils are used instead of fragrances can all be toxic for your child.
How to tell a genuinely organic baby care product from a fake one?
Laurence Wittner: The organic label doesn’t vouch for safety. It serves as a first discriminatory tool at best. In the organic department, like in any other, you shouldn’t purchase anything randomly. The same goes for chemists, especially when it comes to baby’s skin, which is still forming and therefore very fragile and permeable.
To find the best products, you need to opt for specific baby ranges and simple products (the fewer ingredients, the better) and be especially wary of components such as alcohol, essential oils and colouring agents. A couple of tips for you:
- Ingredients are always listed in order of importance;
- Pump dispensers, and especially airless ones, ensure better conservation without added chemicals;
- Choosing brands with steep prices doesn’t necessarily mean good quality.
And what about so-called “natural” products?
Laurence Wittner: Here again, you need to be careful. Just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s harmless. Certain vegetal substances such as wheat protein, sesame and peanut, can trigger allergies. And if the product matches your baby’s skin, as could be the case with sweet almond oil and karite butter, you should also make certain that it’s pure and pesticide-free. In a word, organic.
If you read French:
Les meilleurs produits de soin pour bébés et jeunes enfants, by Laurence Wittner and Hélène Le Héno, Medicis, 2010, £6.70
Copyright © 2009 Doctissimo
Posted 01.09.2010
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