Baby Products That Work Wonders on Your Skin

Who doesn’t want baby skin? It’s soft, smooth, and delightfully plump. And experts say that swiping products formulated to protect and nourish this delicate type of skin can reap benefits beyond just babies.

“The great thing about these products is that they’re designed to be gentle enough for a baby’s skin but effective at the same time,” says Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital Department of Dermatology. “In fact, I recommend baby products to adults with sensitive skin who can’t tolerate traditional adult products.” 

If you’re one of these sensitive skin types who easily reacts to skin-care products with symptoms like redness, itching, rashes, or scaly skin, you’ll especially want to take note. “It’s more about what's not in baby products than what’s in them,” explains New York City dermatologist, Lance Brown, M.D. 

They contain fewer preservatives and either less or no fragrance, which are two of the leading irritants that trigger sensitive skin reactions. This could be especially helpful for people suffering from conditions like eczema, rosacea, or psoriasis, who are advised to eliminate fragrance in products all together.

Baby sunscreen in particular may be of interest to adults with any skin type who are looking to cut down on unnecessary preservatives in their routine and who are in search of more stable formulations. “They market it for babies because it uses a physical, not a chemical, formula in order to provide more gentle sun protection,” says Brown.

That means the active block ingredient in a baby sunscreen will be titanium dioxide or zinc oxide that acts as a physical barrier to reflects sunrays, instead of a chemical formulation that absorbs the rays. However, Brown cautions that you shouldn’t just assume that any baby sunscreen is automatically better—you’ll still want to look for one with an SPF of at least 30 for sufficient protection.

Keep reading to find out which baby skin-care products are worth adding to your routine.

Chock full of hydrating ceramides that restore and protect the natural skin barrier, we love using this elegant, quick-absorbing diaper cream as hand lotion (for real!) to keep our hands soft as a baby’s bum.

Buy it: $10, drugstore.com

Free of fragrance and boasting a broad spectrum protection level of SPF 30, California Baby’s line of sunscreens have become popular among adults in search of a healthier alternative to chemical formulas.

Buy it: $40, californiababy.com

With 98 percent natural ingredients, this avocado-based cleanser is a no-rinse formula ideal for dry skin. The brand also makes prenatal and postpartum products for moms that feature simple, natural formulas.

Buy it: $15, mustelausa.com

Made for babies, but equally genius for adults, this nourishing salve contains colloidal oatmeal and 100 percent natural seed oils to bring relief to dry skin patches and to help improve future skin barrier function.

Buy it: $11, diapers.com

If showers leave you itchy and dry, swap your soap out for this body wash made for newborns that soothes skin with milk protein and allantoin to gently cleanse without stripping natural oils from skin.

Buy it: $12, noodleandboo.com