As many of you know, I’m very choosy about the personal care products I will use on my children. I’m kind of selective about what I will use on myself too, but the truth is I’m much more discriminating when it comes to my kids. That’s just how mothering goes, is it not? ;)
I recently was given some new holistic personal care products from the Maclaren Beginning line to review and I have to say I was quite pleased with them.
First of all, they use natural and organic ingredients and 100% pure essential oils. All essential oils and exotic butters are sourced through fully sustainable, traceable partnerships. They do NOT use synthetic perfumes, artificial colors, petroleum derivatives, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), parabens, TEA (Triethanolamine), DEA (diethanolamine) or animal ingredients. Maclaren is also against animal testing. The products are dematologically tested on sensitive skin (which I feel is important for products that are designed for pregnant women and babies). I feel the need to add the disclaimer here that no, I am NOT pregnant, I’m just testing some products that are intended for pregnant women. ;)
Because it is a new product line, it is not yet available in the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database, although I suspect based on the ingredients that the products would score well.
The Maclaren Beginning product line includes personal care products for both mother and baby. Some of the products I (and/or my kids) tested include: For Mother – the Connecting Massage Oil, and For Baby – Comforting Room Mist, Absorbing Dusting Powder, Soothing Delicate Soap and the Protecting Nappy (Diaper) Change Balm. All of the products contain essential oils. Normally I’m not a big fan of scented products, but these scents are very subtle and calming, not at all like the synthetic fragrances other products on the market have.
The Connecting Massage Oil for Mother with organic orange, lavender and Neroli essential oils is seriously just dreamy. It smells wonderful, feels great rubbed into your skin and doesn’t leave you feeling oily. When I was pregnant I enjoyed rubbing my belly as a way of connecting with my babies. It would have been great to have this massage oil for all of those belly rubs (and back and foot rubs by your partner would feel wonderful with this too). It’s a bit pricey at $24 a bottle, but would make a great gift to a newly pregnant woman.
The Maclaren baby products I received all met with my approval and all seem reasonably priced. I tried the Soothing Delicate Soap with my kiddos (ages 5 and 2) in the bath tonight and I liked that it lathered well even though it doesn’t contain SLS.
The Absorbing Dusting Powder would have been great for my kids when they were roly-poly babies. They both had lots of lovely baby fat rolls which meant lots of creases to get sweaty and irritated and I think this product could have helped with that.
The Protecting Nappy Change Balm with organic lavender, German chamomile, Shea butter and aloe is not very thick so I am not sure how effective it would be as a barrier cream, but I did apply some to my son’s diaper area and was pleased it did not cause any irritation to him like some creams we have tried in the past have.
The only product I received that I am a bit skeptical about is the Comforting Room Mist. The directions say, “Gently pump 2 or 3 burst of the aromatherapy mist into the air. Use at home when baby is resting and safe. When away from home, use to comfort the baby, creating a sense of familiarity and a connection to the safety of home.” I just don’t see a real need for this product. I always used breastfeeding and holding my baby to create a sense of familiarity and safety. I suppose though if a mother had to be away from her baby, this spray might be useful then.
Overall I really like the Maclaren Beginning line and think it would make a great gift to an expecting mother. Oh, and did I mention the packaging is recyclable? The packaging is made from raw, uncoated, recyclable Kraft material, with uncoated paper labels made from recycled paper. This crunchy mama is all over that!
Interested in winning some Maclaren Beginning products? Head on over to Today’s Mama to enter to win.
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September 13th, 2009 at 7:31 am
VDog says:
I have the cocooning oil and I really like it.
September 13th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Brenna says:
Great review. I love my Maclaren stroller, so it’s fun to see they now have skin care products. I am curious too to see how these rate on Skin Deep’s Cosmetic Database, but based on what the ingredients are I agree it will probably be good! Love the packaging too.
September 14th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Kristellia says:
What a great review. I love the look of those products. Thanks for the great information.
October 3rd, 2009 at 4:12 am
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