Johnson and Johnson

[Jupiter]

What do people think of Johnson and Johnson brand, I know the make a natural and aveno brand. Good bad??

[lizzywednesday]

I am generally suspicious of J&J, despite knowing many people who work there (J&J World HQ is in New Brunswick, NJ and many of my college friends and acquaintances ended up working for them there and at their offices in Skillman, NJ) and using their Acuvue brand contact lenses for at least a decade because of the recalls of their baby wash when my DD was a newborn.

It had been contaminated by either bacteria or a chemical solvent (I don't remember which) and I swore off the brand completely for anything I used for my DD.

That said, we came home from the hospital with a sample-sized bottle of their baby wash ... and the fragrance made me REALLY queasy. So it's pretty much banned from my house.

I haven't tried the Aveeno stuff for babies, but I used to use their foaming facewash for adults. I liked it fairly well, but my preferences have changed in the years since I used it.

We use Burt's Bees Baby Bee Fragrance-Free baby wash for DD, though the regular fragranced stuff isn't too bad (it smells like apricots; the fragrance free still has a smell to it - plain oatmeal, which is unsurprising since one of the main ingredients is oatmeal) and she hasn't reacted to the Apricot Baby Oil.

Some of the folks 'round these parts opt out of J&J stuff because it doesn't have the greatest EWG/Skin Deep ratings. If that's important to you, I highly recommend the Burt's Bees fragrance-free stuff as a budget-friendly alternative to something like California Baby.

[BabyBearsMom]

We use Aveeno for DDs. It wasn't my first choice (kind of chemically) but it is the only brand that doesn't upset DD1's eczema.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I think the natural stuff is green washing (made to sound natural and earth/ baby friendly but not really). I think the ingredient make up isn't as good as other natural stuff. The fewer chemicals, the better IMO. Even if they say they are safe and ok, I'd rather avoid.

[theriviera]

I think the natural stuff is green washing (made to sound natural and earth/ baby friendly but not really). I think the ingredient make up isn't as good as other natural stuff. The fewer chemicals, the better IMO. Even if they say they are safe and ok, I'd rather avoid.

I thought that too but I don't think that is the case. They didn't even use essential oils as there are sustainability issues with those.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Interesting. I will have to check ingredients again. OP- the Skin Deep website is a great resource to make decisions about health and beauty products.

[kaharris83]

I highly recommend Dr Bronners Baby Mild Castile soap. One bottle lasts forever and it is mild and doesn't have icky chemicals. I was turned off of J&J because they used to use/possibly still use known carcinogens.

[jam224]

What do people think of Johnson and Johnson brand, I know the make a natural and aveno brand. Good bad??

I'd stay away from J&J. After I learned that "tear-free" actually meant that they put an eye numbing chemical in their shampoo, I decided to avoid them. Then earlier this year (or end of last year?), it was discovered that there's formaldehyde in their products. I Googled it and it looks they've pledged to remove these harmful chemicals, but it won't go into full effect until the end of 2015: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/16/business/johnson-johnson-to-remove-formaldehyde-from-products.html?_r=1.

California Baby seems to be the popular choice. I know you can find it at Target. My favorite brand is Earth Mama Angel Baby (http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/soaps/angel-baby-shampoo-and-body-wash.html). Oh, and here's the link to Skin Deep: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/.

[wellyes]

I think that the tear free = numbing agents thing is an urban legend.

I generally avoid any kid soaps/shampoos that have fragrance. Behind that, I am not super picky. I' used cheap stuff and fancy stuff, j&j and boutique brands, generally I'd say they are all fine.

Ideal world, my favorite is Castile soap as a PP mentioned. It is safe enough to ingest (it is used as a fruit/veggie wash), but still an effective cleanser.