When You See Children’s Moisturiser with This Kind of Packaging, Avoid Buying It—and Do Not Use It on Your Child!

Learn how to choose children’s moisturisers: identify ‘disinfection’ product labels, avoid ingredients that may irritate the skin, and use new products safely.

Autumn has just begun, and the dry season will soon be here. Everyone is busy stocking up on moisturisers for their children.

But there is one thing you need to know: a child’s skin is not simply a smaller version of adult skin.

Children have a thinner stratum corneum, less sebum secretion and a less mature skin barrier, which means that external ingredients can penetrate the skin more easily.

Therefore, the focus of children’s skin care is not function or nourishment, but reducing irritation and protecting the skin barrier.

In particular, when choosing a face cream for a child, the most basic rule is to look for a ‘cosmetic’ label on the packaging and, whenever possible, avoid moisturisers with a ‘disinfection’ label.

Why Should You Avoid ‘Disinfection’ Labels?

Products with a ‘disinfection’ label fall under the category of hygiene-disinfection products. Their primary function is sterilisation and bacteriostasis, rather than everyday skin care [1], and they may harm children’s skin.

By contrast, products with a ‘cosmetic’ label are managed as cosmetics. Their formulations, manufacturing processes and safety assessments are subject to more stringent standards, making them more suitable for children’s daily skin care [2].