Tolerance of Natural Baby Skincare Products on Healthy, Full-Term Infants and Toddlers

During childbirth, several health checks are performed to assess the infant’s health. One of the most obvious observations that are noted when a child is born is the skin condition. If a child has blemish skin, they are subjected to medication to enhance their skin health. In addition, some natural skincare products maintain a healthy infant’s skin. According to Rylander et al., scientists have discovered several products to maintain healthy skin, but very little is known about their efficacy on the infant’s skin. (1) In the article “Tolerance of natural baby skincare products on healthy, full-term infants and toddlers,” Core et al. sought to investigate the impact of natural products on infants and toddlers. (2) While the study produced significant results outlining the efficacy of the products, the study findings cannot be considered significant for future references since the study was limited by the small sample size and short duration of the research.

Core et al. enrolled healthy infants and toddlers aged between one and 36 months to participate in two studies. In the first study, they used shampoo, lotion, and natural baby wash to determine the extent of their tolerance on children’s skin within two weeks with 93 children. In the other study comprising 33 children, they used a natural lotion to wash their children to measure their tolerance and effectiveness on children’s skin within four weeks. The children were washed with shampoo more than three times per week, but not more than once a day. Next, clinicians observed the children’s legs, scalp, arms, and torso to establish the presence of flakiness, dryness, erythema, tactile roughness, irritation and rashes, edema, and the general skin condition. Also, parents were given questionnaires to record their children’s feelings and reactions to the natural baby skincare products. Besides, the authors measured stratum corneum hydration in the second study. The researchers made significant observations: First, the entire study was completed within one month in the dermatology clinic. In the first study, one of the infants suffered from slight erythema on the neck and scalp. In the other study, eleven subjects were infected with AE. At the end of the experiment, the moms commented on the skincare products using phrases such as, “My baby’s skin looks moisturized,” “My baby’s skin feels soft,” and “My baby’s skin feels smooth.”

Despite the positive effects of infants’ natural skincare products, this study was limited by a short study duration and small sample. First of all, Core et al. conducted their study in one month. In essence, this is a brief time considering the nature of the study. Besides, short time limits research from identifying changes that might arise on the subjects, disrupting the study findings. A standard timeframe may extend the possibility of the researchers to note the errors that may arise, thus providing better results. In this article, the short time used during the study limited them from assessing the long-term tolerability of the products. According to Kuller, there is little evidence to support the safety of these products. (3) As such, the short study duration could not confirm the actual efficacy of natural skin products on infants. Secondly, Core et al. used a sample of 135 lads where only 125 completed the study. Provided the general scope of the study, the sample size used is relatively small to provide the generalization of results. Small sample size may result in invalidation and inaccurate data, which shall affect the overall findings. A researcher can use a larger sample size to generate better results. According to Taherdoost, a researcher should use an adequate sample size to prevent errors and biases. The author further suggests that adequate sample size is effective in generalizing the results. (4) In this article, Core et al. could not detect significant errors that might have emanated from the consumption of the products. Furthermore, the sample size was too small to detect the side effects of the products; thus, the results cannot be generalized for the world’s entire population. In addition, Faber and Fonseca argue that basing research on too small a sample size might prevent extrapolation, and too large a sample size may exemplify the study findings. (5) Although there may be claims that this study’s findings are similar to other studies on this subject, it would be dangerous to assume the possible effects of a small sample and study duration on the accuracy and reliability of results.

In summary, although the study achieved its objective by outlining a significant efficacy, the study was limited by the small sample size and the short time for the research. The researchers focused on a crucial subject to examine the efficiency of natural products on children. However, a short study duration could not ascertain the long-term effects of natural skincare products in children. In addition, the small sample size hindered the generalization of this study’s findings since some essential variables were likely to be missing. Further research is required to test the efficiency of the products on children using a larger sample and a relatively long study duration. In addition, further studies should test the efficacy of natural skincare products on children born with blemished skin.

References

1. Rylander C, Veierød MB, Weiderpass E, Lund E, Sandanger TM. Use of skincare products and risk of cancer of the breast and endometrium: a prospective cohort study. Environmental Health. 2019 Dec;18(1):1-2. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12940-019-0547-6
2. Core CD, Suero MB, Tierney NK. Tolerance of natural baby skincare products on healthy, full-term infants and toddlers. Clinical, cosmetic, and investigational dermatology. 2014;7:51. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3921078/
3. Kuller JM. Infant skincare products: what are the issues?. Advances in Neonatal Care. 2016 Oct 1;16:S3-12. Available at: https://journals.lww.com/advancesinneonatalcare/Fulltext/2016/10001/Infant_Skin_Care_Products__What_Are_the_Issues_.2.aspx
4. Taherdoost H. Determining sample size; how to calculate the survey sample size. International Journal of Economics and Management Systems. 2017;2. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3224205
5. Faber J, Fonseca LM. How sample size influences research outcomes. Dental press journal of orthodontics. 2014 Aug;19(4):27-9. Available at: https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S2176-94512014000400027&script=sci_arttext&tlng=es