Should we be wary of shampoos, cleansing milks and other cosmetics with which we take care of baby? The question arises after the publication of a investigation carried out by the non-governmental organization Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF) which pinpoints the composition of certain baby products. The NGO reviewed 341 cosmetic products for babies in July and August 2015, sold in France in pharmacies, drugstores, supermarkets, but also organic stores. It analyzed the ingredients on the basis of scientific studies from the European Union and the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM). At the end of this investigative work, the ingredients of the samples were classified according to three criteria: “high risk”, “moderate risk” and “low or unidentified risk”.
The conclusions are worrying: 299 of the 341 products are said to be dangerous for babies because they are made up of “high risk” ingredients. These toxic substances include a contact allergen (methylisothiazolinone), present in 19 products, including seven wipes; a preservative suspected of being harmful to reproduction (phenoxyethanol) and found in 54 products including 26 wipes; fragrances with allergenic risk in 226 products, summarizes the study taken up by AFP.
Limit the use of scented products
Certain foaming products, used in shampoos as well as cleansing treatments, have revealed the presence of sulphates (laureth and lauryl sulphate) criticized for their irritating power on the skin (even more so for the fragile skin of toddlers). Mineral oils derived from petroleum have also been identified. However, these products can turn out to be comedogenic by blocking the pores, but above all they can be easily contaminated with impurities.
Faced with this observation, the NGO advocates “the prohibition of the three ingredients [classés]high risk in all cosmetics intended for children under the age of three “.
Finally, the NGO sends a message to parents inviting them to “limit the use of these cosmetic products and avoid perfumed products as much as possible”.
This is not the first time that the wipes and other baby products are singled outfor their toxic potential. A survey by the magazine 60 million consumers had already alerted to this problem in 2014.
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