Little Butterfly London founder Gudrun Wurm shares the sky-high standards you have for your little one and converted her passion for skincare into an organic-certified business.
Lots of brands tout their organic credentials but I am of the view that production means very little if the ingredients themselves aren’t backed up by independent research.
Little Butterfly uses lots of avocado, buttermilk, argan, meadowsweet and other extracts high in proven antioxidants and protective fatty acids. The products are beautifully presented and delicately scented. The Fall into Dreams Mother and Baby Massage Oil, €38 @ www.littlebutterflyorganic.com , a wonderfully warming bedtime moisturiser.
Mustela is trusted by maternity wards in hospitals across France and also specialises in pre-natal skincare that soothes mum’s maladies without harming baby. I’m not a fan of the amount of perfume used in several Mustela products but the brand is transparent about ingredients online so you can be fully informed before buying.
Having checked out the entire range, I highly recommend Crème Change Vitamin Barrier Cream, €9.99, an emollient, antioxidant-rich cream that protects and repairs the skin’s natural moisture barrier. This cream was specifically created for preventing nappy rash but also helps chapped hands and noses.
Mustela Facial Cleansing Cloths, €4.50, are some of the best wipes for normal-to-dry skin I’ve come across, adult-only products included.
Little Green Radicals is perhaps best known for fair-trade, organic cotton children’s clothes but you can feel just as good about shopping the brand’s skincare. Blended oils, washes and lotions are simply packaged and deeply comforting.
I recommend LGR’s Baby Lotion, €14.95, which is irritant-free and rich in aloe, almond, coconut and jojoba oils.
Little Green Radical’s Petroleum-Free Jelly, €12.95, is also a great buy for dry skin, though the title shouldn’t be the selling point. Cosmetic-grade petroleum jelly is harmless and moisturising.
Orico London’s Little Love collection has three gentle, sweet-smelling bath-time options for mum and baby to share. The brand describes its products as “urban-perfect,” having been developed to help protect skin against the environmental damage inflicted by city living.
Little Love Gentle Soothing Wash, Protecting Baby Skin Balm and Nurturing Baby Massage Oil, €19 each @ www.oricolondon.co.uk , are lightweight, 99% organic and rich in aloe and coconut extracts. The delicate scent of neroli soothes baby and leaves mum feeling pampered.
Odylique’s Margaret Weed began her family’s business by formulating natural skincare for their eczema problems and her own allergy-prone skin. The brand’s philosophy is that therapeutic products should be a joy to use, so ingredients lists show lots of anti-inflammatory extracts and nothing that will irritate atopic or very sensitive skin. The Organic Ultra Rich Balm, from €13.30, has a light but luxurious texture to comfort eczema and psoriasis sufferers. The formula bolsters the weakened natural moisture barrier and supports healthy cell growth.
The lovely Aussies behind MooGoo create tremendous natural skincare options for the whole family and when it comes to treating baby’s problem scalp, they have you covered. MooGoo Scalp Cream, from €15.95, is a natural moisturiser for cradle cap in babies and seborrheic dermatitis in adults.
Skin around the scalp, eyes, nose, ears and the corners of the mouth that is naturally oily and prone to itchiness will be soothed by this cream’s blend of the anti-yeast agent piroctone olamine and several calming, sebum-regulating extracts.
Bioderma Sensibio AR Anti-Redness Moisturiser, €19.60 @ www.Escentual.com
Bioderma is most famous for Sensibio H2O, a cult hit of last year’s micellar-water cleansing craze that won the small French brand so many international stockists. While those little pink-topped bottles have a place in everyone’s skincare lineup, Sensibio AR best suits normal-to-dry and rosacea-prone skin.
Bioderma boosts the cream’s hydrating properties with a variety of skin-repairing and collagen-supporting ingredients. This moisturiser is high in mineral oil which - contrary to a great deal of misinformation online and in some alternative health magazines - is harmless, wound-healing and wonderfully emollient.
The cream won’t cure rosacea alone, particularly if you also use skincare that cause inflammation such as facial scrubs and anything containing detergent cleansers, alcohol or heavy fragrance.
However, it will significantly improve dryness and contains several good sources of anti-inflammatory fatty acids and antioxidants which are proven to reduce redness.