Natural Baby Wash: A Guide To Baby Bath Washes In India

When we think of a cuddly little cute baby the last thing on our minds is chemicals in baby care products. Unfortunately, baby products in the market contain a number of chemicals that can be harmful to your baby. My search for the best natural baby wash began as soon as I brought my son home from the hospital.

Over the last two years, we have used many brands and my experience using these natural baby washes can come handy to new moms looking for such information.

Related reading : Baby proofing checklist for new parents.

WHAT TO AVOID?

Some common chemical culprits to avoid when selecting a natural baby wash are sulfates, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde releasers (DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, Diazolidinyl Urea, and quaternium-15.). To know about the harmful effects of these chemicals on baby refer to this EWG article.

EWG (The Environment Working Group) is a non-profit organization that has a mission to educate consumers about the ingredients in household and personal care products helping them make an informed choice.

I visit the EWG database to check the rating they give each product I wish to use. They rate products out of 10, the lower the rating the better it is. Currently, the database is limited to US-based and other international brands.

For our Indian brands, I have to check labels and any other certifications the brand claims to have and trust that all the information provided is correct.

DISCLAIMER

1. It is important to test any new baby care product on your baby’s arm and wait for 24 hours in order to check for any reaction. Every skin type is different so products that worked for my son may not suit your baby.
2. Any baby care product that is sold in a bottle does contain some chemicals; no product is completely natural. Most times it is some type of preservative added in order for the product to last. The preservative itself may be natural based in some, though not always. I try to find natural products that contain natural preservatives, but don’t stress over any chemical based preservative too, as long as the overall EWG rating is low on the product.
3. The information you read in this article has been researched to the best of my abilities, looking at credible information sources. Since India still doesn’t have clear labeling laws on cosmetic and personal hygiene products and lacks local services like an EWG database that tests such products and makes information available to consumers on the internet, the data in this article is limited in this aspect. I have to rely on claims by the company on their labels and website as a basis for being natural. These days there is an increase in natural baby care companies in India that give detailed product information, right down to the source of each ingredient used, which is great.
4.  Easy Mommy Life is all about having a balanced approach to everything parenting. Living in India I know that some of these natural baby care products are not easily available. Or that these may be expensive for some. The most important thing I want mothers reading this to know is motherhood is not perfect. Even I use other easily available commercial baby products sometimes. Most natural and organic brands are only available online which makes them a little harder to find locally.

Use the information and reviews here keeping these points in mind.

Also, before I talk about the Indian brands of natural baby washes. I want to recommend two of my favorite US-based baby care brands Puracy and Earth Mama Angel Baby. Both these baby washes are made of natural and plant based cleansers and oils with a mild scent, that make for a calm bath time routine.

I especially love Puracy natural baby wash for its gentle cleansing action. Maybe one day when they release in India I will dedicate an entire review post on these.

Now, on to our favorite Indian natural baby washes.

NATURAL BABY WASH REVIEWS

1.  Rustic Art: Organic Blueberry Baby Wash

When my son was born, the Indian natural baby care market was limited to a few brands. Rustic art was one name that dominated the organic baby products space. We have tried their organic blueberry baby wash.

Ingredients: It contains Organic oils – Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Corn Oil, Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil, Sunflower Oil
Aloe Vera; Vit – E Oil, Vegetable Glycerine, Demineralized Water, Caustic Lye, Blended Organic Essential Oils Of Lavender, Parijat & Blueberry and Natural Preservative of TCLS

Caustic lye is Sodium Hydroxide so not exactly natural. But lye is an important ingredient that goes into the saponification process reacting with the oils to make soap. When the soap making process is completed the end product no longer contains lye. It is important to note that all soap contains lye. No lye, no soap.

The Natural preservative TCLS is based on a blend of turmeric oil, clove bud oil, lemongrass oil and sesame oil.

Price:  $$$$

Pros: 1. Rustic Art blueberry baby wash has good cleansing quality.

2. I like that it’s completely natural baby wash and uses a natural preservative too.
3. You need a little product for each wash so it lasts a long time too.

Cons: 1. Rustic art blueberry baby wash has a strong scent. The fragrance is a subjective quality to review on so what I don’t like maybe you don’t mind.

2. Another point that is quite irritating as a repeat customer is the delivery charge. There is nothing more off-putting than the fact that after buying several Rustic Art products over the years we still need to pay a delivery charge for each purchase. In a time when other brands waive off delivery charges on a certain amount of purchase, it is time Rustic Art matches up.

Rating: 4/5

2. Mamaearth: Deeply Nourishing Body Wash For Babies

I joined the Mamaearth bandwagon quite late. By the time Mamaearth had launched, I was already using other baby care brands for my son. My first exposure to the Mamaearth baby wash was when I received some samples of the product in the mail and tried them out on a vacation. From there on, I was a repeat customer.

Ingredients:

Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Allantoin, Aloe Vera Extract, Vegetable Glycerin, Xanthan gum, Synthetic Food preservative, Orange Essential Oil and Potassium Sorbate.

Other than the preservative used (Potassium Sorbate) and Synthetic food preservative all other ingredients are natural plants based. Mamaearth is a MadeSafe certified brand.

Price: $$

Pros:

1. Mild fragrance
2. Good cleansing action
3. Lathers easily and leaves skin soft.
4. Tear-free and dermatologically tested. Best baby wash for sensitive skin.
5. MadeSafe certified.
6. All ingredients are listed clearly on the website. This is something I appreciate as a mother and consumer as I know where my product comes from and helps make an informed decision.
7. They also provide recycling of used plastic bottles into t-shirts in an initiative to help recycle plastic and reduce waste to know more visit here.
8. Great price, another thing I like about all Mamaerath products is that they are affordable.  With Mamaearth in the market, it has become easier to switch to natural baby care in India.

Cons:

I have no issues with this baby wash at the moment, it works well for us.

Rating: 5/5

3. The MomsCo: Natural Baby Wash

Moms Co is a new entrant in the natural baby care market. We recently tried the MomsCo natural baby wash. We are down two bottles now, so I think its fair to say we are repeat customers.

The Moms Co mention that they carry out extensive validation of short-listed ingredients against international toxicity databases – Environmental Working Group (EWG), Paula’s Choice, Whole Foods Premium Skincare, Safe Cosmetics USA and Safe Cosmetics Australia. They have certification of product formulations by FDA and Safe Cosmetics Australia.

Here is a list of the ingredients they use in their range, the toxicity rating and sources for each.

Ingredients:

Purified Water, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Methyl Cocyl Taurate, Mandarin, Grapefruit and Orange Essential Oils, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Xylitylglucoside, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, D-Panthenol, Pink Salt, Citric Acid, Sodium Gluconate, Calendula Oil, Avocado Oil, Organic Chamomile Oil, Organic Aloe Vera Leaf Gel, Organic Argan Oil

Price: $$

Pros:

1. Gentle formula that has a mild cleansing action. Suited for a sensitive baby skin.
2. True to the ‘no tears’ claim.
3. Easy to use pump nozzle.
4. USDA-Certified Organic Actives.
5. Clinically tested for safety and hypoallergenic.

Cons:

1. Does not foam as much, which means I end up using more product. Which in turn means the bottles get used up faster.
2. Strong scent. Definitely took me a while to get used to the scent. (once again I would like to remind that fragrance is a very subjective point and it may vary depending on your personal likings.)

Rating: 4/5

4. Forest Essentials: Baby Hair And Body Wash Dasapushpadi

I tried the Forest Essentials baby body wash dasapushpadi when my son was about 6 months old. I didn’t know such a product existed until I saw it in stores at Forest Essentials in a mall. They don’t advertise their baby range as much as their other skin care products. Nevertheless, I tried it out and was quite happy with the baby wash.

Ingredients:

Aqua, Reetha, Fresh Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Decyl Glucoside (derived from cornstarch and coconut), Coco Glucoside (derived from glucose and coconut), Glyceron, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Gudhal, Jasmine, Saffron, Rose, Indian Maddar, Jivanti, Marigold, Kumud, Gokharu Seed Extract, Genhu Extract, Rice Extract, Sona Patha Bark Extract, Neem Leaf Extract, Vitamin E, Sodium Levulinate and Sodium Anisate (plant derived preservative), Phytic Acid (natural chelating agent), Lime Oil, Lavender Oil.

Price: $$$$$

Pros:

1. A gentle wash with mild cleansing action. Suited for the delicate baby skin.
2. Need very little product per use which helps the product last longer.

Cons:

Definitely, the price, Rs 1075 for a 200 ml bottle is quite heavy on the pocket.

Rating: 4/5

5. Naturma: Organic Almond Oil And Coconutmilk Baby Body Wash

Naturma is a brand new entrant in the organic baby care market. I first saw the brand featured in my Amazon Suggested list. The ingredients used are clean with a natural preservative added.

Ingredients:

Saponified Organic Almond Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Corn Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Organic Neem Oil, Vitamin E, Organic Natural Glycerin, Organic Shea Butter, Organic Lemon Extract, Orange Extract, Organic Coconut Milk, Coconut Butter, Demineralised Water & Natural Preservative Salinatural

Price:

$$$$

Pros:

1. Delicate body wash for baby skin.

2. A mild scent that is calming and clean smelling.
3. Leaves skin soft and supple after wash. Best baby wash for sensitive skin.
4. Cruelty-free and handmade.

Cons:

1. Price is on the higher side.

Rating: 4/5

For more organic baby product reviews you can check the Reviews Category on the blog. I will be adding more to the series, stay tuned.

Related reading : How many baby clothes do I need?

New baby essentials checklist

What to pack in a diaper bag?

I hope our experience using these baby washes helps you make a decision. Which natural baby wash do you prefer? Do leave me a comment below.