An infant’s skin barrier is not the same as that of an adult. This barrier continues to develop during the first year of life. The stratum corneum of infants may appear intact soon after birth, but the way in which water is stored and transported becomes like that of an adult only after the first year of life.¹

Water alone may not be able to cleanse an infant’s skin of the impurities that are water-insoluble. An appropriate skin care regime is thus needed to cleanse the skin of an infant without causing any skin problems. However, it must be noted that the pH of the skin surface is higher in infants and the free fatty acid content is lower, as compared to adults.² Certain skin products can even harm the skin by impairing the skin barrier function.

Data is still scarce on the impact of skin care products on infant skin. A pilot study was thus conducted at the Beijing Children’s Hospital, Xicheng District, China, to evaluate the effects of three different skincare regimens over a 12 week period in infants.³ The infants were aged 0–6 months at the initiation of the study. The infants recruited in the study were randomized to three groups: near-daily washing for 12 weeks with a mild liquid baby wash followed by baby lotion use (wash+lotion); water followed by baby lotion (water+lotion); water alone.

The skin condition of the infants in all the groups was affected by change of the season. Skin moisture and barrier function appeared to be better maintained in the wash+lotion and water+lotion groups compared the water-only group at week 12. Clinical assessment scores showed a slight increase over 12 weeks in all the groups. At week 12, the wash+lotion group reported significantly less change from baseline in overall skin condition and softness (lower scores) compared to the other two groups. The wash+lotion groups also had stable erythema and rash scores with lower mean values in comparison with the other groups. The wash+lotion regimen appeared to be more effective at preserving skin barrier compared to the other two regimens.

It could be concluded from the study that despite the skin condition deteriorating in all the study groups owing to seasonal changes, the instrumental findings and clinical evaluations suggested that using a liquid baby wash and baby skin lotion could better maintain skin moisture content, skin barrier function, skin pH, and clinical characteristics, in comparison with water+lotion or water alone regimens.

Additional studies conducted among infants with compromised skin, such as those with atopic dermatitis or eczema, could provide more data on the efficacy and tolerability of different skin care regimens in this population.

References

1. Nikolovski J, Stamatas GN, Kollias N, Wiegand BC. Barrier function and water-holding and transport properties of infant stratum corneum are different from adult and continue to develop through the first year of life. J Invest Dermatol. 2008 Jul; 128(7):1728-36.
2. Gfatter R, Hackl P, Braun F. Effects of soap and detergents on skin surface pH, stratum corneum hydration and fat content in infants. Dermatology. 1997;195(3):258-62.
3. Duan Y, Ma L, Galzote C, et al. A Randomized Pilot Clinical Assessment of Three Skincare Regimens On Skin Conditions In Infants. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2019; 12: 895–909.