PSA: new 'natural' baby care products

ashawee127

sorry if this is a repeat:

Johnson & Johnson released a new line of natural baby products.  They keep staring at me at Target

I'm wondering if they are any good and how EF they actually are ...

Just a thought ... I love CB, BB and method baby products but they are a stinger when you're on a tight budget.

Linnya

Hmm....they still have fragrance.  That is probably enough to stop me from trying them.  DS's skin always reacts to products that "smell good" so I don't bother anymore.  Too bad.  I might have tried the new products, if only to save some money while the budget is tight.

babyluv617

I don't think I would ever buy anything from J&J again.

MarknCalsMommy

J&J scares me.  My son was post-term by about a week, and peeled forever it seemed.  Once we switched him off J&J it stopped.  And he has eczema, so we stayed away.

I'd really have to scrutinize those ingredients before I used any.  And then I'd probably try it out on my non sensitive kid, then my sensitive one, before I tried it on a baby.

luvlieK

You can click and see

aturally Derived Ingredients (99%)  Synthetic Ingredients (1%)IngredientWaterGlycerinGlyceryl LaurateGlycine Soja (Soybean) OilCocoglyceridesCandelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 EstersCetyl AlcoholGlyceryl StearateCetyl HydroxyethylcelluloseBenzoic AcidCetearyl AlcoholSodium Stearoyl LactylateXanthan GumHydrogenated Cottonseed OilFragranceWhere it comes fromWaterVegetablesCoconut/PalmCottonseed and SoybeanOilsVegetablesCoconut and Palm OilsVegetablesPlant, Mineral, WaterSyntheticVegetableVegetableSoy Flour and Corn SyrupCottonseed and SoybeanPlantPurposeProduct baseHelps absorb water from the air; helps retain moisture.Helps provide moisture to the skin and keep ingredients combined and smoothMoisturizing ingredient to help protect skin from drynessMild cleanserHelps keep ingredients combined and smoothHelps keep ingredients combined and smoothHelps keep ingredients combined and smoothHelps maintain product thicknessHelps maintain product freshnessHelps keep ingredients combined and smoothHelps keep ingredients combined and smoothHelps maintain product thicknessHelps protect skin and provide moistureProvides a light fragrance

 

Poonico

I won't be buying it, but I do think that it's a step in the right direction.  If it gets 'main stream' people to stop putting nasty chemicals on their babies unknowingly, I'm all for it.  Coming from J&J, it will appeal to lots of people who trust the brand.

Lotte134

babyluv617:

I don't think I would ever buy anything from J&J again.

Me too.  I just don't trust them.

littleanomaly

"But before the JOHNSON?S? Brand entered the natural product sphere, there wasn?t a single organization dedicated to determining which natural products were safe for baby?s uniquely delicate skin."

Oh really? You're the ONLY company that makes natural products for babies?

*suspicious face* 

UTKD

I wouldn't touch J&J products.  Even the Chinese are suspicious of J&J products.  I got a basket of J&J products at my baby shower -- I returned it to BRU the very next day.  Ick.  No.  Sorry, but I don't trust J&J. 

Dobie_Mama

Lotte134:

babyluv617:

I don't think I would ever buy anything from J&J again.

Me too.  I just don't trust them.

Same here.  I'm already suspicious of that whole "fragrance" deal in the ingredients.  What are you trying to hide, J&J!?  Hmmmm???

littlemommy1

Sorry for the dumb question, but why does nobody trust them? I don't use them either, just wondering. 

triumphantreturnofplanningbug

I don't like the company, so I wouldn't buy them.

The palm oil is a no-go for me in 99% of all products, and I don't so much believe that J&J would ethically source it. And frankly, I think that listing "oils" is a copout for stating where something actually comes from.

I think the PP had a really good point, however, about how it is a trusted brand for many people, and if this gets people to stop putting crap on their babies, then it isn't altogether bad.

Lotte134

littlemommy1:

Sorry for the dumb question, but why does nobody trust them? I don't use them either, just wondering. 

Their original baby products have some not-so-skin friendly stuff in them even though they're marketed as being sooo gentle.  They have also had a ton of recalls lately on their OTC drugs leading to a lot of questions about their manufacturing process and quality standards.

EnigmaJC

Personally I wouldn't trust them.  I don't trust any mainstream company (ie J&J, Clorox, SC Johnson, etc) that suddenly starts selling "natural" or "eco-friendly" products.  Most times it's just green washing, making superficial changes or even false claims in order to tap into the green market and all that money they're missing out on.  Remember, just because something is derived from a plant source does not automatically make it healthy and natural.  A chemical is a chemical regardless of its' source (which is why I clean with vinegar instead of the myriad of "natural" cleaners clorox et al tries to sell).  Anyway, my point is that if for some reason you really want to use the J&J stuff I would research each and every ingredient to make sure there are no studies saying they are unsafe.  But then in this case you would come to the ingredient "fragrance" and there's no way to know what that is since the FDA doesn't require manufacturers to specifically name the chemical (supposed proprietary rights BS) and many "fragrances" are VOCs or endocrine disrupters.  So IMHO you'd do best to stay away from it.

epphd

To be honest, "natural" ingredients are not always best for babies' skin or ours.  I've used Kiehls products and only had rashes. Sure, we might feel better about putting plant oils on our kids than petroleum, but lots of natural things are very, very irritating. (like I have said; you know what else is natural?  Strychnine.  Botulism.  Poison oak).

Sam has eczema and I won't put a plant extract on his skin - the only thing I will use is aquaphor or eucerin, and as pure petroleum jelly based compounds, they are far from "natural". this is one area in which I am happy to be non-EF.

andrealynn0707

epphd:

To be honest, "natural" ingredients are not always best for babies' skin or ours.  I've used Kiehls products and only had rashes. Sure, we might feel better about putting plant oils on our kids than petroleum, but lots of natural things are very, very irritating. (like I have said; you know what else is natural?  Strychnine.  Botulism.  Poison oak).

Sam has eczema and I won't put a plant extract on his skin - the only thing I will use is aquaphor or eucerin, and as pure petroleum jelly based compounds, they are far from "natural". this is one area in which I am happy to be non-EF.

I don't think that anyone was trying to imply that "natural" always equals better. Just because some natural things are terrible for you doesn't mean all are. The same goes for synthetic products. 

The larger issue for me, is, as mentioned above, greenwashing of products. I am also not a fan of J&J for a variety of reasons, and won't be using these products. 

epphd

andrealynn0707:

epphd:

To be honest, "natural" ingredients are not always best for babies' skin or ours.  I've used Kiehls products and only had rashes. Sure, we might feel better about putting plant oils on our kids than petroleum, but lots of natural things are very, very irritating. (like I have said; you know what else is natural?  Strychnine.  Botulism.  Poison oak).

Sam has eczema and I won't put a plant extract on his skin - the only thing I will use is aquaphor or eucerin, and as pure petroleum jelly based compounds, they are far from "natural". this is one area in which I am happy to be non-EF.

I don't think that anyone was trying to imply that "natural" always equals better. Just because some natural things are terrible for you doesn't mean all are. The same goes for synthetic products. 

The larger issue for me, is, as mentioned above, greenwashing of products. I am also not a fan of J&J for a variety of reasons, and won't be using these products. 

No, of course not and I totally agree with you.  I do think that J&J is trying to capitalize on a perception that natural=gentle and safe, which - in this case - is obviously not true.

A new teacher at our DC actually confronted me about Sam's eczema and recommended products from L'Occitane that are organic.  When I mentioned that organic doesn't always mean gentle or good for skin, she persisted and said "Well, it's a European organic certification so it's even better."  . I told her we would stick with the pedi's recommendation.  She is the type that would buy the greenwashed product, know what I mean?