Baby skin is naturally delicate and prone to irritations. You'll need a gentle baby soap to keep their skin cleansed and hydrated at the same time. While there is no shortage of body wash and bar soaps made with baby-safe ingredients, finding the right one for your baby's skin type can be an extreme sport. We have made the search less hectic by narrowing down the very best baby soaps.
Cetaphil Baby wash and shampoo
Ideal for everyday use
Dermatologist-tested formula for delicate baby skin.
Pros:
- Shampoo and body wash
- No parabens, colorants, or mineral oils
- Dermatologist-tested
Cons:
- A pump cap could be better
This gentle baby shampoo features a formula that works into a nice lather. This, along with its tear-free and paraben-free ingredients, makes it easy to apply and wash from your child's fragile skin. The hypoallergenic shampoo is blended with organic calendula, giving it a beautiful clean fragrance. It's also dermatologist-tested, proven to be easy on delicate skin, causing no dryness or irritation.
Aveeno Baby gentle wash and shampoo
Works for all skin types
This wash offers all the clean your baby needs in one gentle formula.
Pros:
- Two-in-one formula
- Convenient press pump
- Soap and tear-free
- Perfected for all skin types
- Trusted and reputable brand
Cons:
- Lightly fragranced
This Aveeno Baby formula doubles up as a body wash and hair shampoo reducing the number of products you need for a baby's bath. The wash contains natural oat extract, which is known to gently soothe and nourish delicate baby skin. Being that it's a tear and soap-free formula with a rich lather that rinses off clean without drying baby skin, you can use it every so often without worrying. Besides, it leaves behind a light, fresh fragrance that doesn't cause irritations or allergic reactions.
The Honest Company shampoo and body wash
Creamy lather
Enjoy bubble bath made with naturally derived botanicals and essential oils.
This baby shampoo is made from natural ingredients that are carefully sourced to be healthy for your baby. It has a nice creamy texture that lathers and washes easily. The two-in-one formula both cleanses and moisturizes your child's skin and hair. This tear-free shampoo is gentle and free of phthalates, sulfates, parabens, strong aromas, dyes, and formaldehyde.
Mustela Baby Gentle Cleansing Gel
Non-toxic daily use gel
This gel is formulated from 90-percent plant-based ingredients.
Pros:
- Convenient pump dispenser
- Plant-based ingredients
- Soap and tear-free
Cons:
- Ideal for normal skin
All you need are a few drops of this Mustela cleansing gel to effectively clean and soothe baby's delicate scalp, skin, and hair. The key ingredient is natural Avocado Perseose which is a biodegradable plant-based ingredient known for moisturizing and protecting skin from UV rays. The gel is delicately scented, tear-free, and safe to use from birth on.
Sebamed Baby Cleansing Bar
Soap-free soap
This baby soap has camomile to help soothe your baby’s skin and panthenol to support skin regeneration.
Pros:
- A great choice for dry skin
- Alkali and soap-free
- Extremely mild
Cons:
- Dissolves too fast if forgotten in water
The Sebamed cleansing bar is an alkali-free soap with a PH of 5.5, which is ideal for cleansing all baby skin types without disturbing their delicate acid mantle. As much as it's soap-free, it still lathers as well as other soaps so you and your little one can enjoy bath time. Even better, the soap does not strip off lipids (natural fats) during cleaning, thus maintaining your baby's protective barrier against damage or irritation. The saturated amino acids, vitamins, and wheat germ oil in the ingredients ensure that the skin remains moisturized by reducing the degree of water loss.
Pros:
- Smells good
- PH-neutral
- Formulated with a moisturizing cream
- Superbly mild
Cons:
- Not tear-free
Formulated with Dove's unique moisturizing cream, this baby bar soap will keep your baby’s skin feeling squeaky clean but touchably soft without drying it out. This hypoallergenic and PH-neutral soap formula is ophthalmologist, dermatologist, and pediatrician-tested to help your baby enjoy a gentle soothing bath. The soap is lightly fragranced to give it some character.
Bath time
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A baby’s skin is sensitive enough to react to chemicals that grownups can comfortably handle. This is why you need to choose the best baby soap for your young one.
If we had to pick one, it has to be the Cetaphil Baby wash and shampoo. This miraculous formula doubles as a body wash and hair shampoo. It's hypoallergenic and infused with organic calendula, which is great for sensitive skin, and it lathers nicely to make bath time easy.