A UK Pregnancy, Parenting and Lifestyle Blog
If you have followed our parenting journey for a while then you may have noticed that we’ve used Johnson’s Baby in one form or another since day one, with both our kids. Sure, we like to try out other brands and new products – who doesn’t! – but I can guarantee you that if you came into our house at any point of our parenting journey so far, you would find a bottle of Johnson’s Baby baby bath, cleanser, lotion or shampoo floating around somewhere.
After the initial days of water cleansing after birth, once we got into the swing of a proper bath time routine a couple times a week, Johnson’s Baby was our go to. My mum used Johnson’s Baby products on us, so I naturally gravitated towards using them myself. I had also been gifted quite a lot of bottles of baby wash and lotion before I even had my babies, both times round, which started me off well!
I know there are a lot of myths and rumours that surround Johnson’s as a whole, but there are also a lot of things people don’t know about the company too. For example, did you know that over the past 5 years Johnson & Johnson have helped advance 90% of publications and peer reviewed scientific literature on baby’s skin globally? They do so much work around the world with different agencies and health professionals, such as midwives, to strive to improve child health and development.
I think it’s really important to kick off this partnership by addressing the elephant in the room that shows up every time bloggers and online creators work with Johnson’s Baby – the myths, rumours and conspiracy theories.
Myth: Johnson’s Baby products contain parabens.
Johnson’s Baby products do not contain parabens. Their packaging has changed recently to reflect this fact but it’s purely for a marketing purpose, because lots of other companies are doing it. Consumers don’t often have time to read every single ingredient on the back so if they see one product saying ‘zero parabens’ and one that doesn’t, they may come to the assumption that the one which doesn’t have the marking on it does contain parabens, when it doesn’t. You actually eat more parabens every day than you could ever absorb through your skin, interestingly and there is ongoing research into parabens to discredit the hype around them at the moment.
Myth: Johnson’s Baby products contain formaldehyde.
Johnson’s Baby products do not contain formaldehyde or any formaldehyde releasing preservatives whatsoever and never have done. Formaldehyde is an interesting one because it has only been linked to cancer when it is in gas form. When it is in liquid form it is not the same type of chemical. Back in the past, many years ago, some Johnson’s Baby products contained Quaternium-15, which was is chemically named as a formaldehyde donor. This means that is can produce Formaldehyde in contact with some bacteria and fungus but this formaldehyde was still in liquid form, not a gas, and therefore not carcinogenic.
Myth: ‘Natural’ products are better to use than Johnson’s Baby ‘synthetic’ ones.
We are often lead to believe that natural products are better, safer and milder than synthetic ones but that’s simply not the case. A lot of ‘natural’ ingredients haven’t been tested to the same level as their ‘chemical’ counterparts and therefore cannot claim to be as ‘safe’. A lot of ‘natural’ ingredients are actually hiding chemical ingredients.
The origin of a product (so whether it is organic or not), according to the FDA, has no bearing on whether it is safer or not. Labelling on cosmetic products can be misleading, as a product labelled ‘organic’ may not necessarily contain 100% organic ingredients. Food products are subject to strict EU regulations and guidelines when it comes to the term ‘organic’. Cosmetic products are not, therefore are much more subject to false claims.
I also didn’t know that there are no essential oils that have been proven safe for us on babies’ skin.
Myth: Johnson’s Baby use toxic chemicals
Johnson’s Baby are completely transparent about each and every ingredient in their products and the reason for that ingredient being there – whether it’s a cleansing agent, preservative, emulsifier, skin conditioner etc. They use the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI), which is a system of ingredient names based on scientific names which then means they can be compared accurately and consumers can easily research what is in their products. There are no toxic chemicals in Johnson’s Baby products.
The amount of research and testing (not on animals…another myth – they follow the requirements of the current EU animal testing ban) that goes into each and every ingredient is staggering. I knew there were vigorous testing processes in place, of course, but it seems that Johnson’s go above and beyond and actually say no to a lot of ‘new’ and ‘exciting’ ingredients when they don’t feel there has been the level or research and data behind it to justify why it should be in a product. They believe that each and every ingredient in a product that goes on a baby’s skin should have a definite reason for being there. And that’s something I can wholeheartedly get on board with.
I have never had a reaction with either of my kids’ skin to any Johnson’s products, but I have with other brands. I think that just comes down to our children’s skin at the end of the day. One thing that might not agree with my child’s skin, could be totally fine for yours. We, as parents, just have to find out what works best for our children’s needs and be happy with our choice of products.
I am more than confident in my decision to use Johnsons Baby products on my kids. I have done my research thoroughly (and independently) in the past, and now continue to do so through their ambassador programme. I have often found myself in the supermarket picking up Johnsons products and other brands, and comparing their ingredients and it’s surprising what you find sometimes.
If you have seen the negativity in the past then I urge you to do your own, independent (not what people try to push on you) research. I already trusted Johnson’s Baby products before but I now have a whole, new level of appreciation after learning more about the industry as a whole. If you don’t like the Johnson’s Baby products then that is fair enough and completely your own prerogative, but they are completely safe and regulated within a very tight and strict industry.
We only work with brands we truly use ourselves and that we would be 100% happy with recommending to our family and friends. Therefore, we are so grateful when opportunities to partner with one of those brands comes up.
This partnership is going to be super open – I’m excited to learn more as the year goes on and share everything with all of you lovely lot.
We all know that our babies’ and children’s’ health and safety is of the highest priority and utmost importance. And for us, it is paramount to form partnerships with brands who completely feel the same. Johnson’s Baby want every parent to have full peace of mind and hold safety as their number one priority. If you need any more information then please feel free to reach out to myself, or Johnson’s themselves to understand more.
*This post is part of our ambassadorship with Johnson’s Baby, and we are being compensated, but all words and opinions are 100% our own and completely honest.
