Newborn skincare: how to look after it and which products to choose

Viviana · August 18, 2026 · 8 min

Part of our complete guide to newborn care

Standing in front of the baby aisle usually raises more questions than it answers: bath every day or not, cream or no cream, which wash, and why does that bottle marked “gentle” have an ingredient list as long as a novel. The useful thing to know is that a newborn's skin isn't a small version of ours: it works differently, and that explains almost every rule that follows.

Why a newborn's skin needs treating differently

It's thinner and more permeable than adult skin, and its protective barrier is still being built. Three practical consequences: it loses water and heat more easily (which is why it dries out and gets cold quickly), it absorbs more than we imagine of whatever we put on it, and it gets irritated by things that would do nothing to us — a scented wipe, a skin fold left damp, a wash that's too alkaline. In babies born prematurely all of this is even more pronounced, and it's worth asking the paediatrician or the ward staff for specific advice.

Hence the rule behind everything else: fewer products, simpler ones, applied gently. It isn't minimalism for the sake of fashion, it's the approach that asks the least of an immature skin barrier.

Washing: warm water, keep it short, dry the folds

A bath isn't there to “disinfect” a newborn, who doesn't get all that dirty on their own: it's there to remove traces of urine, poo, spit-up and sweat. A few fixed points:

Warm water (around 37 °C / 98 °F) and a short bath: five minutes is more than enough. Long soaks, paradoxically, dry the skin out.
A wash with a neutral or slightly acidic pH (roughly between 5.5 and 7), fragrance-free, and in the smallest amount that does the job. In the very first days, plain water is absolutely fine.
Dry the folds properly — neck, armpits, groin, behind the ears — patting, not rubbing. That's where leftover moisture turns into redness.
No bubble bath, bath oils or additives in the water: they make the tub slippery and they're one of the most ordinary causes of dry skin.

The same logic applies to shampoo: one made for babies, fragrance-free, used once or twice a week. The crusty patches of cradle cap on the scalp are common and temporary, and they don't come off by force.

Moisturising: when it's really needed, and with what

Skin that peels in the first weeks is normal, not a problem to fix. If it stays dry, rough or starts to crack, though, an emollient makes sense. What to look for:

Little water, plenty of oil or fat: ointments and thick creams hold moisture in better than runny lotions. Very watery lotions, on the other hand, evaporate and can leave the skin drier than before.
Simple, recognisable ingredients: petrolatum or soft paraffin, glycerin, sunflower seed oil. Fewer lines on the label, fewer chances of a reaction.
Once a day on the body, with clean hands, leaving the scalp alone.

You often read that moisturising from day one lowers the risk of atopic dermatitis. It's a studied and plausible line of thinking — an intact skin barrier is a protective factor — but not a settled result to build expectations on: if there's a family history of eczema, asthma or allergies, that conversation belongs with the paediatrician, not with a tube of cream.

The nappy area: prevention costs less than treatment

It's the most exposed part of the body: moisture, rubbing, urine and poo all at once. The routine that works is unspectacular and very effective.

Frequent changes and cleaning with warm water and a soft cloth or cotton wool. It's the gentlest method there is.
Wipes as the exception, not the habit — out of the house they're wonderfully handy. When you pick them: no fragrance, no alcohol, pH around 5.5 and non-aggressive cleansers. If the skin is already red or there's eczema, better to put them away entirely: on a compromised barrier, ingredients get through more easily.
Barrier cream at every change during the tricky spells: zinc oxide, petrolatum or soft paraffin are the ingredients that do the work, creating the layer that keeps the skin separated from moisture.
There's no need to remove every last trace of cream at each change: clean gently and add a fresh layer. Scraping it all off irritates more than it protects.
A few minutes with no nappy on, whenever that's possible, is worth more than a lot of products.

Umbilical stump, eyes, ears, nose

For the umbilical stump the rule is the least invasive one: keep it clean and dry with water (and a neutral-pH wash only if it gets soiled with poo or urine), fold the nappy down below the stump to avoid rubbing, and leave it open to the air or loosely covered. If you see spreading redness at the base, foul-smelling discharge or fever, call the paediatrician.

For eyes, ears and nose, warm water and a piece of gauze or a soft cloth are all you need. Eye discharge comes away with gauze moistened with saline solution, moving from the inner corner outwards and using a different piece of gauze for each eye. For the ears, clean the outer part only: never push a cotton bud into the ear canal.

Sun: under six months, cream isn't the answer

For babies under 6 months, sunscreen isn't used: the recommendation is to keep them in the shade, in light tightly woven clothes and a wide-brimmed or peaked hat, avoiding the middle hours of the day. It's a safety choice — less very permeable skin exposed to filters — and an effectiveness one too, because shade protects better than any cream.

After 6 months sunscreen can be used: broad spectrum, high SPF (30+ is the minimum usually quoted, and in practice many parents go for 50+), formulated for children, preferring mineral filters based on zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which stay on the surface. Best to avoid formulas containing oxybenzone. And cream doesn't “authorise” longer stretches in the sun: it stays an addition to shade, clothes and a hat.

Reading the label: what to look for and what to leave on the shelf

Good signs:

explicitly marked for newborns or children;
pH between 5.5 and 7 for washes and wipes;
a short, readable ingredient list, with the names that keep coming up in gentle products (glycerin, petrolatum, zinc oxide);
no fragrance at all, not “delicate fragrance”.

Best avoided in the first months:

fragrances, essential oils, alcohol and aromatic plant extracts;
bubble bath, bath oils and bath salts;
wipes and creams with preservatives known to be allergenic, for instance some isothiazolinones (MI/MCI);
very watery lotions in place of a cream or an ointment;
harsh cleansers and exfoliants of any kind;
antiseptics such as iodine, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide on scratches and healing skin: they slow things down more than they help. For a small wound, sterile water or saline solution is enough, without scrubbing.

One note that's worth the reading time on its own: “natural” and “organic” are not synonyms for safe. Several plant-derived ingredients — nut oils, herbal extracts, essential oils — are among the most irritating or allergenic precisely for the skin of the youngest babies. The ingredient list counts; the word on the front doesn't.

If a reaction appears

One new product at a time, and if redness, sudden dryness, hives or irritation show up after using it, stop that product straight away and go back to the essentials: warm water and a simple emollient. Then check in with the paediatrician, especially if things don't settle within a few days.

These deserve a call to the paediatrician without waiting:

nappy rash that doesn't improve after a few days of careful care;
blisters, pustules, weeping skin or widespread peeling;
a skin problem alongside fever, inconsolable crying or refusing to feed;
dry, itchy patches that keep coming back in the same spots (possible eczema).

In case of a severe, sudden reaction — swelling of the face or lips, difficulty breathing, widespread hives after a contact or a food — don't wait: call your local emergency number (911 in the US, 999 in the UK, 112 in the EU).

In summary

Looking after a newborn's skin comes down to a few things done well: warm water and short baths, a gentle wash with a pH close to the skin's own, folds dried carefully, a simple emollient when the skin is dry, a barrier cream with zinc oxide in the nappy area, shade and clothes instead of sunscreen under six months. Everything else on the shelf is nearly always surplus — and every ingredient fewer is one reason fewer for irritation.

This general guidance doesn't replace your paediatrician's advice, who remains the point of reference for your own baby's skin.

Frequently asked questions

Why does a newborn's skin need different products from mine?

Because it's thinner than adult skin and its barrier is still immature: it holds less water, loses more heat and absorbs whatever you put on it far more easily. That's why the sensible choice is gentle formulas with a slightly acidic or neutral pH (roughly between 5.5 and 7), fragrance-free and with a short ingredient list.

What should I look for in a moisturiser for a newborn?

Go for formulas with little water and a lot of oil or fat — ointments and thick creams rather than runny lotions — with simple ingredients such as petrolatum or soft paraffin, glycerin and sunflower seed oil. Once a day on the body is usually enough, and you can leave the scalp alone.

Which products are best avoided on a newborn's skin?

Fragrances, essential oils, alcohol and aromatic plant extracts; bubble bath and bath oils; scented wipes and creams, or ones with allergenic preservatives such as the isothiazolinones (MI/MCI); very watery lotions, which can dry the skin instead of moisturising it; exfoliants; antiseptics such as iodine, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide on healing skin.

Can you put sunscreen on a newborn?

Under 6 months, no: protection comes from shade, light tightly woven clothes and a hat, and staying out of the midday sun. After 6 months you can use a sunscreen made for children, broad spectrum and high SPF (30+ as the usual minimum, though many parents go for 50+), preferring mineral filters based on zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

Does “natural” or “organic” mean a product is safe for a newborn?

No. Some ingredients of natural origin — nut oils, herbal extracts, essential oils — are among the most irritating or allergenic for skin this young. What counts is the ingredient list, not the word on the front of the tube.

When should I call the paediatrician about a skin problem?

If redness or a reaction appears after using a new product (stop it straight away), if nappy rash doesn't improve after a few days of careful care, if there are blisters, pustules, weeping skin or widespread peeling, or if the skin problem comes with fever, inconsolable crying or refusing to feed.