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Baby · Ingredient check
Paste any product's ingredient list — a baby lotion, wash, balm or diaper cream. We flag what pediatric and dermatology guidance says to keep off infant skin or use with caution, and the gentle emollients it recommends — and we cite every call. This is an educational screen, not medical advice; a baby's skin is not a small adult's.
1 of 6 ingredients flagged
Salicylic acid (BHA)
A baby's high skin-surface-to-weight ratio means topical salicylic acid is absorbed far more than in an adult, and genuine salicylate poisoning (salicylism) from topical use has been documented in infants — including a 6-week-old who reached a plasma salicylate level of 580 mg/L after a concentrated salicylic acid preparation was left under occlusion on the scalp for three days. Dermatology guidance says salicylic acid 6% should not be used under age 2, over large areas, for long periods, or under occlusion. Skip it on infants.
Read our full Salicylic Acid profile →
We don't have a cited rule for these — that is not a verdict of safe. They may simply be unstudied for this purpose.
We match each ingredient on your label against a hand-curated rule set drawn from pediatric-authority guidance (American Academy of Pediatrics / HealthyChildren.org, the U.S. FDA, EU SCCS opinions and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review) and peer-reviewed pediatric-dermatology and toxicology papers — every flag links its source. The grading reflects how a baby differs from an adult: an immature skin barrier absorbs more, and a high skin-surface-to-body-weight ratio magnifies systemic dose. 'Avoid' is for acute toxins and things guidance says to keep off infants; 'caution' is for allergens and dose- or age-dependent ingredients; 'generally fine' is for the emollients and mineral filters pediatric guidance actually recommends. Matching is literal substring matching on ingredient names.
This is a conservative screen, not a clearance. It can't see concentration, whether a product is rinse-off or leave-on, or where on the body it goes — all of which change the answer (a trace pH-adjusting acid in a wash is not a leave-on acid treatment). Newborns and preterm infants have far more permeable skin than older babies, so 'caution' items matter most in the first weeks and on broken or eczematous skin. An ingredient we don't have a rule for is NOT a guarantee of safety — it may just be unstudied for infants. And this tool knows nothing about your baby's history, allergies, or a doctor's specific instructions.
Last verified July 2026. Citations and regulatory status (FDA rulings, EU bans, retracted studies) can change over time — every source link on this page is checked weekly for dead or moved URLs, and this lens is re-audited on its underlying evidence at least once a year. See our full bibliography →