Parent Panel Review - Green Baby Organic Skincare

Product: Green Baby Organic Skincare

Price:   Petroleum Free Jelly: £6.95

               Moisturising Hand Sanitiser: £7

               Calendula Balm: £7.50

               Shampoo and Body Wash: £7.95

Available from: Green Baby 

Suitable from: Petroleum Free Jelly and Shampoo and Body Wash from birth; Calendula Balm from 3 months.

Initial Reaction: I was really excited about trying these Green Baby products. Personally I’m not fussed about whether ingredients are grown organically, but companies that care about organic produce often care about ethics and sustainability more generally, and Green Baby are no exception.

Pros: All of the products we tested were great quality. I used the shampoo on my kids, but as they both have very little hair that only occasionally needs washed, I’ve been using it on my own hair too. The lather it produces is really thick and dense, and a little goes a long way even on my thick hair.

We tested the Calendula Balm on my 10 month old baby, who suffers with a few little patches of eczema. I’ve tried a wide variety of creams and lotions, including prescription emollients, E45, Vaseline lotion and Lush’s Dream Cream, to maintain his skin in between steroid treatments. I’m yet to find the elusive miracle cream that will remove the need to go back to steroids, and I hoped this balm might be it. Unfortunately it wasn’t – but it did just as good a job on the dry patches as anything else we’d tried. It went on easily and had an oily feel to the base, which protected the skin well.

The hand sanitiser basically did what it said on the tin! It dried quickly and the smell disappeared as it did so. The bottle was light enough to be easily carried in a changing bag, which is a plus if you’re changing nappies on the go.

The biggest pro for me was the fragrances. The Calendula Balm in particular is gorgeous: it smells fresh, spiky and herbal and lingers for a long time after use. The lavender and chamomile shampoo is lovely too – soothing and refreshing.

Cons: The smell! It’s very strong and seemed to be love it or hate it in our house and with other people who smelled it. My husband variously described it as like twigs, gloss paint and “like that old drunk woman your mother knows, who tries to kiss you on New Year’s Eve”! I think it’s great, but I guess it’s not for everyone.

I’d expected that the Petroleum Free Jelly would be similar to Vaseline, which is a petroleum-based jelly – otherwise why call it ‘jelly’? However, it was very solid, more like a hard wax. Also, the heavy glass jar makes it a bit of a pain to take out and about. It did work well as a moisturiser for little dry patches, and as a lip balm (more of a conditioning balm than the shine you get with Vaseline); I’d like to see this packaged in a smaller tin to make it more portable.

Value for money? Green Baby products are more expensive than your average high-street baby product. You’re paying for the quality: organic ingredients wherever possible, no synthetic fragrances, mineral oils or parabens. The extra cost also goes towards making sure suppliers across the business are paid a fair wage. If those things are important to you and you’re willing to pay a bit extra for a product you can trust, then Green Baby are good value.

Overall Reaction: I love this brand and I was really pleased with these products, particularly the shampoo and the calendula balm. If I was in a position to buy organic products then I’d buy these again, and I’d definitely recommend them.

By Kirsty