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Personal Care Products for Kids
Pamela Lundquist
Healthy Child Healthy World
Thursday, April 05, 2007

Kids of all ages have naturally wonderful skin and hair. Generally, keeping it clean is all that’s needed. Nevertheless, children use quite a few personal care products in addition to soap and shampoo, such as toothpaste, bubble bath, lotion, sunscreen and insect repellents. Parents may wonder what is in all these products and if they might affect children’s health.


Since many skin and hair care items contain a long list of ingredients with strange chemical names, it’s easy to understand the concern. A complex mix of fragrances, preservatives and colors are used in many hygiene and beauty products. In fact, a number of ingredients commonly used in products for children, such as parabens and quaternium 15, can cause skin and eye irritation or allergic reactions, such as hives, watery eyes, and breathing difficulties.1 Some chemicals, such as phthalates, and contaminants, like formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, have been linked to more serious health problems, including endocrine disruption and cancer.1

Despite these health concerns, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the government agency in charge of regulating personal care items, is limited in what it does to ensure safety of personal care products. FDA does not even require pre-market testing of personal care products. However, some ingredients are restricted from use in personal care products: nine are strictly prohibited by law, while industry trade associations recommend that manufacturers voluntarily avoid the use of nine additional chemicals. Any other raw ingredient — including hundreds of chemicals — can be used, without government testing or approval.

For the most part, FDA can only take action against products that contain prohibited ingredients, have been mislabeled, or are proven to be harmful to users.

There’s also the environmental impact to consider. Many chemicals used in personal care products are derived from petroleum and may pollute during production. Even synthetic chemicals derived from plants can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during production, which can affect air quality. Some chemicals also pollute the environment when they’re washed down the drain or simply thrown away.

Special Concerns About Fragrance Ingredients
Among the most problematic ingredients are fragrances, which are added to a wide range of grooming products. Like other ingredients found in personal care products, fragrances can cause allergic reactions and may trigger asthma attacks, but much is unknown about the health effects of fragrance ingredients. Consider that only within the past few years was it discovered that phthalates, used to extend the life of a fragrance on the skin, could interfere with hormonal activity.

Some fragrance facts:

Fragrances are not only inhaled, they’re also absorbed into the skin.
Tens, if not hundreds, of different chemicals can make up one fragrance formula.
Most fragrance chemicals have not been tested for safety, particularly for children, who are more vulnerable to the effects of foreign substances than adults.
Though ingredients must be listed on personal care products, the law permits manufacturers to use the generic term "fragrance" rather than specific fragrance ingredient names.
"Food" fragrances like strawberry may confuse a child into thinking it’s okay to eat the product.


Washing Up from Head to Toe
Probably the first product you’ll use on your child is soap. Many pediatricians recommend washing newborns and young infants with only warm water. As they get older, choose glycerin and castile soaps, traditionally made with olive oil, as they are generally mild.

Antibacterial soaps are unnecessary in most cases and can cause resistance to antibiotics and other germ fighters. (See Antibacterials and Disinfectants: Are They Necessary?) Soap and water work perfectly well for loosening dirt and germs so that they can be rinsed away.

As your child grows, there’s no doubt he or she will want to take bubble baths. Choose products that are intended for babies or children, since these generally have milder ingredients than those for adults. Some bath products, even those made specifically for children, contain harsh detergents, like sodium lauryl sulfate. Bubble baths have been associated with higher rates of urinary tract infections, so save them for special occasions.

Young children struggle to avoid the dreaded shampoo at bath time. Even baby shampoos can contain ingredients that irritate eyes. Shampoo is made up of one or two surfactants (detergents that lather well) and water. Other ingredients include additives that create the proper pH level so hair stays smooth, detanglers, thickeners, preservatives, scents or foaming agents.

Surfactants like cocamidopropyl betaine or cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine are among the mildest, causing the least eye or skin irritation. Harsher surfactants include sodium laureth sulfate, a chemical relative of sodium lauryl sulfate. In addition to being a strong detergent, the FDA lists it as an ingredient that may be contaminated with the probable carcinogen 1,4-dioxane. Another group of surfactants that have raised concern are alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs). These detergents break down slowly in the wild and form compounds that are known to disrupt the endocrine systems of and cause reproductive effects in fish, birds, and mammals.

Brushing Up for a Perfect Smile
Regular brushing with toothpaste helps prevent cavities. But did you know that some toothpastes contain saccharin? Repeated tests on saccharin show that it causes cancer in laboratory animals.

Fluoride in toothpaste is a controversial ingredient. It is added to toothpaste because it’s been clinically shown to prevent tooth decay. However, if too much fluoride is ingested, it can cause fluorosis (white spots on permanent teeth), a condition which develops only when teeth are forming during childhood. Kids may be more likely to swallow artificially flavored toothpaste if it has an "edible" flavor like bubble gum or fruit flavor.

There are many unanswered questions about fluoride and its health effects. Fluoride Action Network and the American Dental Association are two reliable sources of information that have opposite views. After browsing both sites, you can make an informed decision for your own family.

Just for Baby
Baby wipes are often loaded with alcohol, fragrances or other ingredients that can irritate baby’s skin. Instead of these commercial products, you can use (and reuse) thin cotton washcloths to wipe baby’s bottom. Buy them by the dozen and you’ll always have one handy. A small spray bottle of gentle liquid baby soap or a wash of 1 teaspoon of baking soda to 1 cup of water helps clean the area.

Baby powders are often recommended to keep baby dry, since they absorb moisture. But talc can irritate the lungs and there is some suggestive evidence that it may cause cancer, especially with long-term usage in the genital area. Cornstarch is one alternative. You can dry baby’s bottom with a small cotton washcloth, as well.

To prevent or avoid diaper rash, keep the area dry and expose it to fresh air whenever possible. The baking soda wash mentioned above will keep yeast from growing, especially when your child is taking antibiotics. Aloe vera gel, available in tubes or bottles at natural foods stores, applied to the occasional rash is naturally soothing.

Using oils or creams can also help prevent a rash from developing. "They keep the skin protected by creating a barrier between the baby’s skin and everything else. This barrier keeps poop and pee off the skin, which naturally is irritating to the skin and harbors bacteria," says Dr. Harvey Karp, a pediatrician and HCHW board member, in Mothers & Others’ Guide to Natural Baby Care. Look for these oils, or products made with them: almond, apricot kernel, avocado and calendula.

The Great Outdoors
Covering up is the best protection from sun exposure and biting insects, such as mosquitoes and ticks, which can carry disease. Chances are, though, your child will protest wearing long pants in the heat of summer, especially at the beach, so sunscreens and insect repellents are the next best choice.

Unfortunately, there is no natural sunscreen, and botanical insect repellants (such as those containing citronella or herbs) are just not always as effective as their chemical counterparts, according to studies. The benefits provided by sunscreens and insect repellent typically outweigh the harm. What’s important is to use the products properly to minimize the risks.

In terms of sunscreen, the most effective "active ingredients" are zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, and/or parsol. Put your baby in protective clothing including a hat, though, because sunscreen is not recommended for use on infants younger than six months.

Try natural insect repellants as a first recourse to battle bugs. If they seem ineffective in the given circumstance, apply DEET-free insect repellant (not on children under 6 months). Try applying it only on clothing to reduce direct skin absorption. NEVER spray it on a child’s face.

Stay away from combination sunscreen/insect repellants. Sunscreen is most effective when applied every two hours, but applying insect repellant this often could lead to overexposure.

Label Language
Many of the terms used on the labels of personal care products are not regulated. By that we mean that there are no government-recognized definitions for terms like natural, hypoallergenic, no synthetic chemicals, and other similar claims on personal care products. Different manufacturers may have different ideas about what these terms mean.

Sometimes, natural ingredients may be processed so much that they do not resemble what is found in nature. It’s also important to note that natural ingredients are not always necessarily safer ingredients. For example, some essential oils contain natural terpines that can cause headaches. Some herbal ingredients are allergens, respiratory irritants, or they may cause rashes or more serious health effects! One such natural ingredient is citrus oil. The active compound is d-limonene, which can cause breathing difficulty in asthmatics.

The Certified Organic label has been extended to cover personal care products in addition to food by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Certification, as regulated by the USDA, is supposed to mean that at least 70 to 100 percent of the ingredients are organic. The Organic Consumers Association has discovered that some companies are using the certified organic claim by using an ingredient called organic hydrosol, which is basically water "flavored" with an organic substance. Since these products are mostly water, only a small amount of organic ingredients may be present. In fact, many organic grooming products also contain the same preservatives, colors and fragrances found in their non-organic counterparts!

Indulge in Pampering
Like the rest of us, kids enjoy a little pampering now and then. It’s perfectly fine to have a hot bubble bath once in a while. Basically, the idea is to look for products with the mildest ingredients, fewest chemicals and fragrance-free formulas.

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