Sensitive formula baby wipe brand yielded fewer days of irritant diaper dermatitis

A sensitive formula baby wipe brand with fewer ingredients had fewer days of irritant diaper dermatitis when compared with formulas with more ingredients, according to a study published in Pediatrics and Neonatology.

“Health care providers have traditionally recommended water with cloth wipes or cotton wool for cleaning babies’ nappy areas,” Alan D. Price, PhD, of the University of Salford, United Kingdom, and colleagues wrote. “however, baby wipes were associated with a decrease in skin irritation compared to cloth wipes.”

In a prospective experimental study, researchers analyzed 698 infants randomly assigned to one of three brands of baby wipes to determine differences in incidence of irritant diaper dermatitis (IDD). Mothers reported the integrity of the skin daily on a scale of 1 to 5 for an 8-week period.

Brand three contained only two ingredients, while brands one and two each had more than three times that amount, according to the study.

After 8 weeks, 24.6% of mothers reported at least 1 day of clinically significant IDD, with brand 3 yielding the lowest proportion of infants presenting with significant IDD compared with brand 1 and brand 2 (19% vs. 25% and 30%, respectively). Average rash score was 1.43, and the average number of days with no rash was 34 out of 55. No events required medical attention.

“The BaSICS (Baby Skin Integrity Comparison Survey) study is the first research indicating that a baby wipe product may be a determinant of infant skin integrity in the first 8 weeks of life,” Fiona MacVane Phipps, senior research fellow, told Healio. “The study is an important milestone in infant skin health, and the hope is that the findings will inspire confidence and reassurance among both health care professionals and parents: knowing that they are using a product which is specifically developed to be pure and gentle for babies’ delicate newborn skin.”