When my newborn started breaking out in a scary red rash, I discovered those baby products I was using weren’t actually developed with sensitive skin in mind.
Motherhood is full of surprises. The number of google searches for “is this normal” in the first few months of my baby’s life has exceeded my total years interacting with the internet. So you bet when my daughter, Willow, developed a bright red rash all over her face, neck and arms I was on top of trying to solve it immediately. I ended up turning to our pediatrician who pointed out that the popular body wash and lotion brands I was using that were supposedly developed for babies, in fact contained top allergens and harmful chemicals for sensitive skin 🤯
So my obsession with research got the best of me, and I decided to test 3 brands of baby lotion on 4 criteria: EllaOla Hydrating Baby Lotion vs. Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion vs. Cetaphil Baby Daily Lotion. Here are the results…
TLDR: EllaOla is worth the splurge for clean ingredients that don't irritate sensitive skin.
Criteria 1: Ingredient Safety
Babies’ skin barrier is 30% thinner than adult skin, meaning they absorb ingredients much faster and those ingredients penetrate deeper. Using top clean ingredients should be the number one priority when selecting baby skincare. To help Willow’s skin, I needed zero tolerance for harmful ingredients. I discovered this amazing nonprofit called EWG that independently researches and certifies all types of skincare products for my safety criteria below.
ELLAOLA
EllaOla received the top accolade for ingredient safety. No surprise, since its products were developed with a team of Harvard dermatologists focusing on ingredients with research-backed benefits. And the quality of ingredients is unmatched in the market: organic shea butter sourced from West Africa, organic jojoba seed oil and algae sourced from France, squalane and coconut water sourced from Brazil.
AVEENO
Aveeno ranked high on allergens and immunotoxicity concerns meaning there are ingredients linked to allergic reactions.
CETAPHIL
Cetaphil also ranked high on allergens and immunotoxicity concerns as well as high in the use of ingredients restricted or prohibited for use in cosmetics according to industry safety guidelines. There is also a strong fragrance which is a huge “no, no” for baby’s sensitive skin.
SAFETY WINNER: ELLAOLA
Criteria 2: Moisture Protection
Because baby skin is so much thinner than an adult, they lose moisture twice as fast. The whole purpose of baby lotion is to provide hydration to our little ones.
ELLAOLA
96 hours of moisture protection keeping my baby’s skin silky and soft. EllaOla is the only baby lotion on the market with a 96 hour clinical study proving the efficacy of the product – that is 3x the protection of other brands listed here.
AVEENO
24 hours of moisture protection leaving my baby’s skin dry by the end of the day.
CETAPHIL
24 hours of moisture protection leaving my baby’s skin dry by the end of the day.
MOISTURE PROTECTION WINNER: ELLAOLA
Criteria 3: Texture
ELLAOLA
My baby’s skin felt soft, nourished and hydrated without greasiness.
AVEENO
My baby’s skin felt like there was an tacky film over it.
CETAPHIL
My baby’s skin felt soft with a slight oily texture.
TEXTURE WINNER: TIED ELLAOLA & CETAPHIL
Criteria 4: Cost
Obviously cost should be a consideration, but just like there are extreme differences in adult skincare costs based on the quality of ingredients and efficacy of results (i.e. Skinceuticals Vitamin C serum at $170 vs. Olay Vitamin C serum at $36), the same is true for exceptional baby skincare that actually works.
ELLAOLA
$28 for a 7.8 ounce bottle ($3.60 per ounce).
AVEENO
$7.29 for an 8 ounce bottle ($0.91 per ounce).
CETAPHIL
$12.59 for a 13.5 ounce bottle ($0.93 per ounce).
COST WINNER: AVEENO
And the best baby lotion for sensitive skin is…
Taking these 4 criteria into account, along with my real experience witnessing the results of the product on my daughter, EllaOla is the winner and definitely worth the splurge. Try it for yourself now.
Get 20% off your purchase of EllaOla products with code NMM20
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