Baby oil

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Baby oil is widely used to care for the delicate skin of newborns.

With baby oil is a skin care product for newborns .

The skin of newborns has a neutral pH value (pH 7) in the first few days , as the protective acid mantle of the skin has to be fully formed. Therefore, in many countries, the skin of newborns is routinely rubbed with various oils. Depending on the recipe, baby oils can have different compositions. In general, the oils in skin care are used to cleanse, maintain moisture and protect. But they are also used for massage and as additives in lotions and creams .

history

Even in ancient Greece , the ears and eyes of children were cleaned with oil. In the Middle Ages , in addition to warm water , salt and honey , olive oil was also used to care for the skin of newborns. During the Renaissance and up to the end of the 18th century, baby care was of no importance, this changed at the beginning of the 20th century. Now the care with peanut , olive or paraffin oil as well as powder , lanolin and petroleum jelly for the buttocks and skin folds followed. Today, various vegetable and paraffin oils are often used as baby oil , along with other skin care products .

Classification according to ingredients

Ingredients of a mineral oil-based baby oil with white oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), the fatty acid ester of palmitic acid and isopropyl alcohol (Isopropyl Palmitate) and perfume .

A classification of baby oils is possible based on the basic recipe. One can differentiate between

  • mineral oil based and
  • vegetable oil based

Products.

Mineral oil-based products (paraffins or Vaseline)

Typical main components of baby oils are highly purified mineral oil products such as white oil ( INCI code: Paraffinum Liquidum) or Vaseline (INCI code: Petrolatum). These odorless and tasteless hydrocarbons are considered to be dermatologically well tolerated, non- allergenic , hydrophobic and free of herbicides and insecticides . Since they do not go rancid , unlike vegetable oils , no preservatives or antioxidants need to be added. The use of mineral oils in cosmetic products has come under fire, despite objections from cosmetic manufacturers, dermatologists and cosmetic chemists.

See also: Toxicological aspects of paraffin

Vegetable oil based products

INCI-compliant information on the ingredients of a vegetable oil-based baby oil on the bottom of the pack.

Vegetable oils mostly come from seeds , but also from leaves and flowers of plants, so they mainly consist of triglycerides . They always contain accompanying substances, e.g. B. fatty acids , phospholipids , sterols , essential oils and vitamins . Antioxidants are used to prevent them from going rancid. The oils are listed on products according to the International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI), e.g. B .:

Many of these oils contain active ingredients that supply the sensitive and dehydrated skin of newborns with moisture and high-quality lipids . For example, palmitic acid and myristic acid from coconut and avocado oil offer protection against drying out the skin. Sunflower oil offers the same protection and supports the natural protective function of the skin through additional components such as tocopherols , triterpenes and unsaturated fatty acids . Skin-soothing ingredients such as carotene , allantoin and sterols are mainly found in shea butter. Components made from avocado oil and jojoba oil also protect against environmental influences such as dirt and microbes .

use

Baby oil is mainly used for skin care in order to improve the skin's physiological protective barrier and to reduce the dehydration from the skin. In the treatment of diaper rash , in particular , mild baby oil is used to clean and care for the buttocks. Baby oil can also be used in small amounts as a bath additive . Another main area of ​​application is oil massage , which has numerous positive effects on the baby's body. While pure massage stimulates the cardiovascular system and processes in the digestive tract , for example , the massage results in an additional improvement in the condition of the skin when using oils.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Andreas Chiabi, Maguerite Hortence Kenmogne, Seraphin Nguefack, Bolaji Obadeyi, Evelyne Mah: The empiric use of palm kernel oil in neonatal skin care: Justifiable or not? In: Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine . tape 17 , no. December 12 , 2011, ISSN  1672-0415 , p. 950–954 , doi : 10.1007 / s11655-011-0938-1 (English).
  2. ↑ a b Christine Starostzik: Best care for delicate baby skin . In: CME . tape 13 , no. 4 , April 2016, ISSN  1614-371X , p. 42-42 , doi : 10.1007 / s11298-016-5693-3 .
  3. ↑ Ingredients in baby care - Lexicon I Penaten®. Retrieved November 14, 2018 .
  4. ↑ a b c Irina Grigorow: Baby skin and its care . In: Pediatrics & Pedology . tape 44 , no. 6 , December 2009, ISSN  0030-9338 , p. 12-15 , doi : 10.1007 / s00608-009-0177-2 .
  5. ^ Readers question - paraffin in cosmetics. Stiftung Warentest, accessed on November 14, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Entry on vegetable oil. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on November 14, 2018.
  7. ↑ Entry on skin oils. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on November 14, 2018.
  8. ↑ 2006/257 / EC: Commission Decision of February 9, 2006 amending Commission Decision 96/335 / EC establishing a list and a common nomenclature of the ingredients of cosmetic products In: Official Journal of the European Union . L 97, April 5, 2006, pp. 1-528. (Official INCI list of the EU). Please note that the list does not claim to list all permitted ingredients, and the lack of an entry does not indicate the inadmissibility of this substance.
  9. ↑ Gabi Fischer von Weikersthal: Well protected through life: Baby care - optional or compulsory? Retrieved November 14, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Anjali Kulkarni, Jaya Shankar Kaushik, Piyush Gupta, Harsh Sharma, RK Agrawal: Massage and touch therapy in neonates: The current evidence . In: Indian Pediatrics . tape 47 , no. 9 , September 2010, ISSN  0019-6061 , p. 771-776 , doi : 10.1007 / s13312-010-0114-2 (English).