September 23, 2022, 9:09 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Some things you don’t want on your skin, especially not on children’s skin. The magazine “Ökotest” tested 18 shower shampoos and found some concerning ingredients. However, there are also products that were rated “very good.”
Children’s cosmetics promise not only good effects but also lots of fun and often fruity scents. It’s no wonder that kids sometimes take a sip from the shampoo bottle. The magazine “Ökotest” (October 2022 issue) checked the contents of 18 such children’s shampoos based on the product information and had them analyzed in a lab. Which ingredients parents should avoid and which are good for children’s skin–an overview.
Overview
Which ingredients did the testers find and evaluate?
Problematic Ingredients
Halogenated Organic Compounds
Testers found halogenated organic compounds in eight of the tested children’s shower shampoos. This group includes several thousand substances that, according to “Ökotest,” contain bromine, iodine, or chlorine. Many of these substances are considered allergenic, and some are even carcinogenic.
The testers assume these are unintended residues from production, making them difficult to detect without lab analysis. A clue that halogenated organic compounds may be present in the product is the mention of cocamidopropyl betaine among the ingredients.
However, “Ökotest” points out that there are also products with this ingredient where the lab found no halogenated organic compounds.
Also interesting: 21 hazelnut spreads in “Ökotest”–Nutella falls short
PEG/PEG Derivatives
These surfactants foam and clean. However, because they can make the skin more permeable to foreign substances, “Ökotest” downgrades products with these ingredients.
PEG or PEG derivatives are often listed with a number. You can find out what the individual ingredients specifically stand for in the INCI database on the portal Haut.de.1
Recommended Ingredient
Denatonium Benzoate
They are colorful, they smell particularly sweet, and they sound delicious: This is the problem with many children’s shower shampoos. They are enticing and sometimes get consumed. This is, of course, not intended–and some manufacturers help prevent this. For example, with the bitter substance denatonium benzoate. It is supposed to ensure that ingested shower shampoo is immediately spat out.
Drawback: This ingredient is not allowed in the best-rated natural cosmetic products in the test. According to “Ökotest,” one company instead uses unpleasant-tasting surfactants.
Also interesting: Choking hazard! 6 out of 15 children’s mattresses fail “Ökotest”
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“Ökotest” Finds Concerning UV Filters in Children’s Sunscreen
Electric Toothbrushes for Kids–The Test Winners
These children’s shampoos received an overall rating of “very good” from “Ökotest”
- Dreckspatz 3in1 Shower Gel Blackberry Scent by Dresdner Essenz (certified natural cosmetics)
- Kids 2in1 Shower & Shampoo Fruity Orange by Weleda (certified natural cosmetics)
- Kids 2in1 Solid Shampoo and Shower Gel by Foamie
- The Mouse Shampoo & Shower 2in1 Fruity Apple by Hydrophil
- Shower & Shampoo Cool Diver by Balea
- Kids 3in1 Shower, Shampoo & Conditioner Soccer Star by Isana
- Children’s Shower Fun 2in1 Rosalie Rainbow by Tetesept
Sources
- 1. haut.de. Ingredients / Ingredients. (accessed on 9/23/2022)
- With material from dpa