Livelovelaugh longs to learn…I’ve noticed that Johnsons have variations of their regular baby oil – Johnsons baby oil lavender, and Johnsons baby oil with aloe vera and vitamin e. Do these extra ingredients actually have any benefit, or are they just a gimmick to jack up the price of what would otherwise be cheap mineral oil?
The Right Brain replies
Johnsons Baby Oil With Aloe Vera & Vitamin E sells for 20 ounces for $4.50. Likewise, the same amount of regular plain old Johnson’s Baby Oil
Mad about mineral oil
Mineral oil is the main ingredient in baby oil. And based on comments we’ve gotten on our previous posts on mineral oil, many people consider it to be the cosmetic equivalent of the Anti-Christ. We won’t open that can of worms here today but we will restate our belief that, based on available data, mineral oil is a safe and effective moisturizer. The other ingredients you asked about are more in question.
Baby oil bamboozle?
Here’s our take on the “featured” ingredients used in Johnsons Baby Oil: Lavender oil can make baby oil smell better but it can also be irritating (and some people say it causes young boys to grow boobies.) Aloe Vera does have some beneficial properties but it’s not oil soluble so it’s highly unlikely that there’s enough in the mineral oil to make a difference on your skin. Vitamin E also provides some skin benefits and it is oil soluble. But the question is, how much is in the formula and how well is it stabilized. If the cost of the formula is the same with and without the vitamin, that’s a pretty good indication that it’s present at too low of a concentration to provide a measurable effect.
Beauty Brains bottom line
Extra ingredients like lavender oil and aloe vera provide little, if any, additional benefit in baby oil. But as long as it doesn’t raise the price, why not indulge yourself with the “special” version? (Unless you’re one of these people whose skin reacts to lavender oil, of course!)
What do YOU think? Do you buy products based on the ingredients you see featured on the front label? Leave a comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
Loading ...
{ 1 trackback }
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Why is it impossible to find fragrance-free baby oil? Just pure 100% mineral oil — and nothing else. No annoying fragrance that could be sensitive to or clash with another fragrance I want to wear. And if anyone deserves fragrance-free products, it’d be little babies. I feel like what I want makes too much sense to happen.
And I don’t want to have to go to the laxative section because I think the added tocopherol makes it feel thicker and eventually goes rancid.
I agree with Christine. Right now I use either the lavender or the chamomile simply because I don’t want to smell like a baby, not because I believe the ingredients list. Unless it’s a Burt’s Bees baby, that stuff smells yummy! I use essential oils anyway, so if I want that scent, I can add it myself. But it’d be nice to have something completely neutral.
I swear by mineral oil though. Nothing makes my skin softer.
A quick google for unscented baby oil turned up the following URLS -
http://www.dollartree.com/health-personal-care/baby-products/Personal-Care-Baby-Oil-6-5-oz-/211c242c242p298071/index.pro
http://www.greencradle.com/baby-organic-body-care-p/npo-1440-organic-baby-oil-43.htm
(Ug, there’s that “Organic” again!)
http://diabetic-supplies.hocks.com/johnsons-unscented-baby-oil–list
http://www.babyant.com/newborn-collection-unscented-baby-massage-oil-2oz-butt-naked.html
I feel Vaseline Petroleum Jelly is a much better moisturizer and it works for my dry skin, except my face.
@ Righty: If I WAS having parties with 55 gallon drums of baby oil, trust me, I would definitely invite you! (Lefty, probably not…)
And just wait ’til I write MY next post and I get to make fun of YOUR social life! LOL.
As if you could even get me to attend (without using Tequila anyway)
-Left Brain
I’d rather use something that is fragrance free if I had a child
Baby oil is mineral oil, which is derived from petroleum. All it does it coat the skin, leaving the skin unable to “breathe”. I used to use this on my face and I had nothing more than breakouts! A much better choice is to use natural almond oil, coconut oil, or olive oil. Softens the skin so well and you can even eat it!
The site is slightly off in Chrome it seems. Just a slight issue though. Good post.
@Robin
Your skin doesn’t breathe. Your lungs do.
And while they are occlusives, vaseline and mineral oil are both absorbed into the skin.
It’s called science, and it’s called research. Learn some, and do some.
I love the baby oil with vitamin E and aloe.
1. I use it to shave with instead of soap or creams, and it leaves my legs silky smooth.
2. i use it as a facial moisturizer for when i have dry skin, and it helps immensely. I had horrible acne as a teenager, and about ten years ago i had an acutane like treatment which has changed how my skin is, so im not sure if it would have made me break out if i was still prone to acne, but i know that right now it doesnt seem to cause breakouts.
3. i work in inclement weather and i have applied it directly to windburn and sunburn, and noticed the immediate relief as well as MUCH FASTER healing properties than regular moisturizers, or repair products.
4. when applied every day it seems to make my skin stronger… you know how when you get a head cold and go through a box of kleenexes a day? and your nose gets raw and red and sore, maybe the skin cracks and peels? That doesnt happen to my nose if i use this as a moisturizer.
Jami – nice of you to include your Google search results, but if you look closely you will see that all of the products referenced contain fragrance.
Also, a minor but sometimes important point is that “unscented” is not the same as “fragrance free”. Unscented products may have had alteration to remove a scent, whereas fragrance free simply means no fragrance was added.
If anyone is able to find cosmetic grade mineral oil, please let us know! It used to be readily available at drugstores a decade ago. Not sure what happened except maybe the onslaught of false negative information about mineral oil, and the prevalence of “oil-free” cosmetics. Even Oil of Olay removed the “Oil” from their name. For those of us with dry skin, mineral oil is the best product out there!
I have found unscented unflavored mineral oil at my local Rite-Aid. CVS carries it too. It is in the laxative aisle, near the Pepto. This is apparently it’s other function. $4.99 for 16 oz. It also has vitamin E “as a stabilizer”. Other sites have also listed this as a treatment for butcher block tops.
Hey Handy Dave, thanks for the handy tip. ^_^