Can cleansing products for adults be used to wash a baby?
During the first two years of life, a baby’s skin is normalizing, and the sebaceous and sweat glands and pilary system (hair) are developing. It is important not to disturb this physiological process by using unappropriate products. The most appropriate products are those which respect the skin and with a pH as close as possible to that of baby’s skin (in a newborn infant, the pH is about 6.8, usually evolving to reach a mean value of 5.5 in adult). Products for adults (shower gels, bubble baths, shampoos, etc.) are usually not suitable for the immature skin of babies, as they may be too harsh, particularly because their pH is too acidic and formulation not adapted. They may contain more detergent and surfactant ; it is also very likely that they will be too strongly perfumed for a child . The pH is an index which expresses the coefficient of acidity (pH below 7) or alkalinity (pH over 7) of an environment (e.g. the skin) or a solution (e.g. water, shampoo, etc.). A pH of 7 is referred
