An “Allergic Reaction” to Perfumes for Babies

There is nothing in the world that smells as beautiful as a baby, (after changing) although I am childless, I try to sneak a sniff of every family and friend’s infant or toddler by kissing their head, just for the odor. It is the one aroma that I wish a perfumer can capture, but I don’t believe they can, nor ever will.

That is why I don’t understand the point of drenching your toddler, or infant with Mandarin-Orange, bergamot and Vanilla Milk Moss.A baby’s skin and immune sytstem is at its most vulnerable.Allergies are common.

For example, Burberry has a gentle ‘eau de toilet’ called Baby Touch which is composed of “Mandarin-Orange, Rhubarb-Jelly, Verbena, Wild-Spearmint, Jasmine, Orange-Blossom, Lily-of-the-Valley, Cyclamen and Vanilla Milk Moss,” (retails for $29.99). Or there is the Tous Baby Eau de Cologne (which is a “charmingly innocent fragrance opens with fresh mandarin orange, neroli, and bergamot accompanied by a delicate heart of orange blossom, apple, pear and rose.” All these fragrances are marketed to adults online… Many parents don’t shop online and I fear the names are confusing. But I do know Mrs. X recently bought Johnson’s Baby Cologne that is a “gentle, fresh fragrance with a pleasant combination of floral and citrus hints to leave your baby smelling clean and fresh, and Hello Kitty baby perfume (which does not contain alchohol)but what does it contain)?

Would you ever put perfume on your baby?

What do you think of the fragrances marketed to toddlers, like Dora the Explorer, Barbie and Disney fragrances? Clearly these are not for moms…but “encourages bonding between mother and child, and cherished memories…

–Michelyn Camen , Editor in Chief

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25 comments

  • Michellle Hunt says:

    No perfume for babies…they already smell heavenly.  I think sometimes people confuse "baby powder" with "baby smell"….and they are different! 
    I actually resisted using scented baths and so forth until my kids became old enough to request things that smelled good.  For a while I had a hard time finding disposable diapers that were not perfumed…and many unscented baby wipes contain pentadecalactone….which gave me a bit of a headache with constant use, and would not cover the smell of a dirty diaper!  Why put fragrance in such a sensitive area? 
    I still prefer subtle smells for my children…or bathtime products that give a fun smell while in use, and slightly after…..but nothing that would persist for hours! 

  • Queen says:

    I agree babies have their own scent. It's one that can't be imitated. It's delicious.
    No never put a fragerance on a baby!!

  • Mandy Aftel says:

    I also agree that putting a scent on a baby is a bad idea and it is covering up one of the most beautiful smells in the world.
    (sorry for the typos in the previous post – I hit send before I had a chance to re-read!)

  • Anya says:

    Michelyn, I am going to share this post, and ask aromatherapists to give their opinions.  Myself, I agree that a gorgeous smell need not be gilded, so leave the babies with their unique scent which helps the mothers bond with them, so whoever wrote "encourages bonding between mother  and child" got it wrong. It's the natural scent, not the perfume scent, that will do that, and, in fact, the perfume scent will probably disrupt the mother/child scent bond.

    And the danger goes way beyond allergens.  The culprit here would be sensitization.  Sensitization occurs when a cumulative effect takes place in the body, and after a threshold is tipped, that person may be sensitized to that aroma – or a particular aromachemical, e.g, linalool – for life. Something as innocuous, it would seem, as lavender can cause sensitization.

  • Susan says:

    I agree with the above comments, and I also think that a little lavender and chamomile essential oil in the nursery is not a bad thing.  Don’t drench the baby in fragrance though, or expose the baby directly.  I’m just saying that certain fragrances can be uplifting, comforting and soothing.  In other words, it’s possible to enjoy baby-friendly scents without exposing baby to harmful allergic reaction, sensitization, or worse.  Just use common sense. 

  • Lisa BTB says:

    Add me to the group that thinks a baby's smell is one of if not the most beautiful in the world. I would not use any perfume on a baby.  There's just no need. 

  • Michelyn Camen says:

    Just to clarify I am talking about fragrances with chemicals that don’t disclose notes babies have a lot of food allergies milk chocolate and peanuts
    They may accidently swallow I grew out of my allergies to chocolate cinnamon and nuts but if my mom had sprayed fragrance on me that had the chemical equivalent it would have meant one more trip to the hospital

  • Nellie says:

    I'm going to go further and say that it's obscene to smother a baby with perfume. Yes, they smell great naturally, but it is also a selfish thing to do because infants do not differentiate "nice" smells from "horrible" smells, until around the age of 4. So the perfume is all about the parents' taste, rather than doing anything for the baby. This trend is capitalising on the basic lack of knowledge about aromatics and their effect on the body and mind. My 14-month-old has the odd drop of lavender, manuka, roman or german chamomile, or eucalyptus in her bath depending on the needs at the time – not every night. I don't use perfumed soap or bubble bath or anything like that. If I massage her, it's with pure cold pressed coconut oil. There have been perfumed products for babies for a long time though. Bubble gum talcum powder, anyone? I bet these perfumes interfere with the natural skin oil mantle, as well as overpowering the baby's senses, potentially cause sensitisation or reactions, and eclipse their ability to identify meaningful, survival-based smells such as milk.

  • Robert Tisserand says:

    I do find the idea of perfume for babies a little strange. Certainly it would be a mistake to put fragrance onto a baby’s skin, because even if there is no immediate adverse reaction, that baby is being set up for probable skin allergies later on in life. Not necessary, easily avoided. While the manufacturers of such fragrances presumably know what they are doing, some fragrance materials, if inhaled in concentration, cause a baby’s breathing to slow down, and this can cause serious immediate problems. It only happens to infants.

  • Joana says:

    Nelie, the babies do differentiate the smells and reacts to pleasant smell and they frown after smelling rotten food or strong smells in general. 
    I do not like the idea of using a perfume on a newborn, baby and a child first of all due to the idea that perfumes are not that innocent as ingredients list of synthetic or natural components goes on and on. I think we should prevent the exposure in children as we can and later on in life with their mature body they can choose to stay perfume-free or choose the perfume they like.
     I try to stay perfume-free around my 3 month old baby. If I do put some on me, it is when I am going outdoors and in a tiny amount. Like one spritz on my wrists.

  • Nellie says:

    A baby's frown from strong odours would be a physical reflex from gases such as solvents – these should be kept away from babies altogether. Anything else is projecting your own tastes and prejudices Joana. Babies cannot physiologically demonstrate a preference for odours until around the age of 4. Even at that age, much of their olfactory selection is what is taught to them rather than their own choices. Babies can smell, sure, it is a very important sense to them – but they do not care about rolling about in their own excrement (some even eat it, given the opportunity) or going through the rubbish. As you must know – or will find out when your baby is older – they are prepared to put just about anything into their mouths, even the foul stuff. The sophistication of smell sense develops over the course of a lifetime.

  • Felicia G says:

     I went nuts about people and fragrance when the kids were infants. I breastfed the first born and I refused to use any scents until I had stopped not even shower gel. In the hospital when my second was born I could smell a nurses cologne on my newborn and I requested a bath for her.
    Now that my oldest is nearly five and my youngest three, they ask for a daily spritz and I happily oblige. I use Yurman Essence on them just a tiny spray and they go banana's.
    I think as children, they are making memories associated with the familliar scent of mommy. they see me getting dolled up and since make up is forbidden, they have come to appreciate getting a splash of grown up perfume. I would not buy them a bottle of their own fragrance at this young age it would not be appropriate. 
    I am a David Yurman mommy and I assure you that they will certainly associate that scent with being little kids. Much the same way as I smell ivory soap and Giorgio Beverly Hills and think instantly of my mom.

  • Elise Pearlstine says:

    I guess I just have to say I don't understand at all – like everyone else who has posted.  I loved the smell of my babies sweaty, clean from a bath, or that wonderful combination of dirt and sun when they played outside.  They smelled like kids are supposed to. They are grown up and gone but I can still tell which room is theirs when I visit by their unique scent. 

  • chayaruchama says:

    Babies don't 'need' perfuming.
    I wore what I wanted, when I breastfed my guys, but I didn't swim in it.
    When they were ailing, Kneipp baths were the order of the day.
    As toddlers, they adored Eau de Campagne and old Mysore sandalwood oil.
    The end.

  • harper says:

    to say that a baby needs perfuming seems akin to saying powdered milk is better for your baby than breast-milk (remember that?) : simply another tale of greed knowing no limits, no matter what the cost.
    rather distressing, that.
     
     

  • Margi Macdonald says:

    Deary, deary me. What next?!
    The idea of 'perfuming' babies and children in this fashion is irresponsible. How young is too young to commence overloading the sensory systems of children?
    Everything I've ever studied about olfaction – the relationship between olfaction and the immune system, olfaction and human bonding and other behaviours and instincts- and that certain chemicals are known endocrine disruptors -or worse- suggests to me that we are setting the artificially perfumed little ones up for emotional and physical concerns at some stage in their lives.
    I also know – from years of clinical experience – that ill health first reveals itself in the natural aromas and smells of our bodies, our fluids, and our waste. I'm certain that by masking natural body odours, and never knowing the natural smell of our loved ones, we are rapidly losing the ability to discern what is 'good'  and healthful, and what is not.
    No good can come of this bizarre fashion of ours, to unrelentingly fragrance anything and everything in our lives, including each other.

  • civava says:

    I would never put a perfume on my child. The only thing was a drop of lavender essential oil into a bath. But I stopped also with that cause she got rashes. Smell of baby head is perfec so there is no need to ruin it. Not even with eco, bio stuff….

  • angie Cox says:

    Well said Michelyn, some people would exploit anything. Babies need to be clean and then they smell perfectly lovely. I find babies wearing jewellery just as dreadful.

  • Jane says:

    Wow- I must be a horrible mother.
    I used perfume on my babies. It was part of our wonderful bathing ritual. I used Tartine et Chococlat for my eldest & Bulgari Petits et Maman on the younger one. After their baths I'd splash a few drops in my hands & massage their little arms & legs. Particularly nice in the hot summer. The scents are soft and I'd usually put some on myself at the same time. As they got older the perfume would sit on their dressers & they would dab it on their wrists themselves as they got bigger. In the minority it seems but I love a little soft baby cologne. 


    I'm going to add that my babies never frowned during their little massages, on the contrary they laughed and smiled. I love perfume but certainly don't defer all my decisions to aromatherapists. Europeans (especially southern) have been using eau de cologne on themselves and babies forever. I find it odd that everyone here adores perfume and will fight so hard against banning of ingredients but all freak out at the thought of perfuming children. I find this so hypocritical- especially coming from perfumistas. You don't want the IFRA telling you which perfumes you can use, I don't want random people telling me if I should or shouldn't put a gentle alcohol free cologne on my child. 


    I'll add my kids are now 23 and 15- tall, gorgeous, healthy & intelligent. With a healthy love for perfume, a passion we all share now as they tip toe into my room and swipe the bottles they like.
     
    Oh, and I pierced their ears as little kids too. Their pediatrician did it. He said almost all little girls will come in at 6 or 7 to pierce their ears- they are scared & get multiple infections because they don't clean them properly. Babies ears heal within days.


    Come on. It is just perfume. Lighten up.

  • Michelyn Camen says:

    Jane I think you are a wonderful mother I posted this because everyone has a different opinion it’s not an indictment
    The baby’s head sniffing was it an obsession? So beautiful

  • Nellie says:

    Jane, even more strongly than I believe that perfume is a personal choice not to be inflicted on others (air space, skin, products, environs etc.) I believe that people have a right to parent without judgment – so if you are proud of how you've brought up your children then all power to you. Commenters here appear to have simply been exercising their personal opinions about the industry and implications of contrived child-perfuming.
    I would say that the "personal choice" factor is fundamental to many perfumers' resistance to draconian IFRA legislation so please do not think of us as hypocrites because of it.
    Thanks for the forum Michelyn.

  • Aubrey says:

    Wow, what an interesting topic! I'm not a mother yet but keep checking back to read what people are posting.  Very interesting. It seems like some people think that they shouldn't even wear perfume on themselves until their children are quite grown… I had never considered that!

  • Leslie says:

    I would never put perfume on my 23-month-old, but he seems already to love it on me…every morning when he sees me put it on, he insists on sniffing my wrists…