When shopping for diaper cream, opt for products that are free of talc, petrolatum, and synthetic fragrances. Instead, choose diaper creams that contain zinc oxide, beeswax, coconut oil, and argan oil. Our favorite diaper creams are certified by EWG (which ensures the product is free from chemicals of concern), Fair Trade (which benefits the people making the product), and PETA or Leaping Bunny (which ensure no animal testing was performed using the product). 

Ingredients

Zinc Oxide

Zinc oxide is a mineral and for good reason is one of the main active ingredients in diaper creams. It has astringent and antiseptic properties that ease irritation and prevent bacteria from living in the skin, and it is widely recognized as a safe and effective treatment for diaper rash. 56% of the diaper creams we’ve scored contain zinc oxide.

Talc

Talc is the softest mineral known to man. It is mined from the earth and used to absorb moisture and cut down on friction, which makes it useful for keeping skin dry and preventing rashes. Sounds like the perfect product to put on your baby’s bum, eh? Not so fast. In the earth, talc actually exists in very close proximity to natural asbestos, a mineral known to cause cancer when inhaled. This leaves potential for contamination of talc with asbestos, a problem all too real for Johnson & Johnson, which failed to address contamination in their own talc-based products. The company is now paying $2.1 billion in retribution to 20 women who developed ovarian cancer in part because of exposure to J&J’s talc-based baby powder. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization) classifies asbestos-free talc as “not classifiable as to carcinogenicity in humans”, since there is no proof that asbestos-free talc causes cancer. However, we choose to steer clear of the stuff regardless. 

Petrolatum

Petrolatum is a common ingredient in many moisturizing skincare products. It helps seal the skin with a water-protective barrier, which comes in handy since diaper rash can be caused by excessive moisture on the skin. It’s derived from crude oil, which requires a refining process that creates a ton of air pollution. The percentage of crude oil contributing to diaper rash cream production is so small that even if we all stopped using it, we wouldn’t really move the needle on our overall fossil fuel usage, but it’s still not our favorite. When properly refined, petrolatum is called “white petrolatum” and has no known health concerns. However, since the U.S. doesn’t have requirements on refinement, petrolatum in products sold here can contain cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Unfortunately, 79% of petrolatum-based diaper creams we’ve scored contain the stuff that is potentially contaminated with PAHs. To avoid that, look for products made with white petrolatum. 

Beeswax

Beeswax is non-allergenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and best of all, safe for babies. Unfortunately, there are some ethical concerns here. Did you know that we harvest beeswax by melting beehives in boiling water and then cooling it? This process can involve cruel mishandling of the Queen Bee, whose wings are often clipped so that she cannot leave the hive. Yikes. As the demand for beeswax in the cosmetics industry increases, so does the number of honeybees harmed during the wax collection process. 

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is moisturizing, soothing, anti-inflammatory, and baby-safe. Growing coconut palms does not require the use of pesticides, which is great, but the crop does pose problems for biodiversity . As demand for coconut products increases, coastal mangroves are being destroyed in favor of coconut palm monocropping operations, which deplete the soil, cause habitat loss, and ultimately kill off plants and animals vital to the ecosystem. 

Argan Oil

Argan oil is one of our favorite baby-safe moisturizing ingredients. The argan tree grows almost exclusively in south-western Morocco, where it acts as a natural barrier against desertification, prevents soil erosion, and protects water resources. Argan trees have been cultivated for centuries, and their oil is so good for the environment that Morocco’s argan forest was named a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco in 1998. Fortunately, the tree is not damaged by the production of argan oil; rather, the production of argan oil is a reason to protect the tree. Women’s co-operatives have been set up to meet the increased demand for argan oil in the beauty industry, giving many Moroccan women the opportunity for financial independence. Companies like L’Oréal, Weleda, and L’Occitane have invested in the Moroccan argan oil trade to promote education and fair pay among women in the industry. No matter the company you buy from, you can look for Fair Trade argan oil to ensure that the Moroccan women who produce the argan oil are compensated appropriately. 

Synthetic Fragrances

The most elusive ingredient of all might be fragrances. That’s because fragrances are protected from disclosure. While “fragrance” might appear to be one ingredient on the label, that word could potentially comprise hundreds of chemical compounds just for one scent! It’s not the scent that worries us, but phthalates, which enable fragrances to become soluble. They are known endocrine disruptors in both humans and aquatic life and can even lower the production of testosterone. Studies have found that prenatal exposure to phthalates can decrease mental and motor development in children. 

Certifications

Here are some certifications to look for when shopping this category.