In recent years, home care, personal care, and food and beverage companies have gone to great lengths to clean up labels. They need to steer clear of the ever-changing list of ingredients consumers perceive as artificial or harsh.
Nowhere is having a clean label of more concern than in baby products. According to GlobalData’s 2019 consumer survey, 72% of parents globally pay high to very high attention to the ingredients used in the products they buy for their children.
Laundry products marketed for use on baby fabrics have been around since the early 20th century. As natural and clean-label trends grow, parents continue to seek gentler, milder and more natural products, driving innovation in this category. Today, consumers can find every type of homecare product, from dish wash liquid to bathroom cleaners marketed for use around babies.
EU EcoLabel guidelines do not contain specific guidelines for baby detergent products, but they do suggest following the same principles included in the cosmetic regulations for rinse-off applications. These formulations cannot have harsh or irritating ingredients that might typically be found in home cleaning formulations.
Certified Colorants
These food-grade and cosmetic-grade dyes are trusted for their safety when used in home care formulations where contact with sensitive skin is possible. Sensient is known worldwide as a premier manufacturer of certified colorants.
Request A Sample of Sensient FD&C/D&C Certified ColorantNatural Colorants
A 2019 study by GlobalData found that 66% of U.S. consumers saw botanical/plant extracts as somewhat or very appealing in a household care or laundry product. For brands seeking to cater to this consumer trend, botanically-derived colorants are a great fit for baby products.
The baby-friendly liquid laundry detergent formula below utilizes SensiNatura Eco Green, the first water-soluble colorant approved by Ecocert for the detergents section. SensiNatura Eco Green features:
• 100% natural origin for all raw materials
• Readily biodegradable
• Patent-pending process keeps color stable in cleaning formulations
• More light stable in most cleaning formulas than a common synthetic dye blend
• Compatible with a wide range of cleaning product formulations
Prototype Formulation for Liquid Detergent for Baby Fabrics
| Generic Name | Brand Name | Supplier | %w/w |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potassium Cocoate | APPYSOAP 7024 | WHEATOLEO | 12.0 |
| Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate | TEXAPON ALS 70 FR | BASF | 5.0 |
| Cocamidopropyl Betaine | Mackam 50 ULB | SOLVAY | 0.8 |
| Alkyl Polyglucosides | Glucopon 650 | BASF | 3.2 |
| Sorbitan, Monooctanoate | Natrasense LF8 | CRODA | 0.15 |
| Lactic Acid | LA 80 | J.I. AG | 0.3 |
| KOH (50% Solution) | Q.S. | ||
| NaCl | Q.S. | ||
| Water | Q.S. | ||
| SensiNatura Eco Green | Sensient | 0.25 | |
| Essential Oil Blend – Mint, Citrus & Chamomile | Sensient | 0.5-0.6 |
PROCEDURE
(1) Mix Alkyl Polyglucosides, Sorbitan Monocotanoate, Potassium Cocoate and the Essential Oil blend.
(2) Add the Cocamidorpopyl Betaine and the Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
(3) Pre-blend the Lactic Acid with ca. 70% of water and add to the vessel
(4) Adjust pH with KOH in between 8 - 10
(5) Adjust viscosity by adding NaCl
(6) Add Sensi-Eco Green
(7) Fill up to 100% by adding water