Mothercare – Baby Liquid Talc

Mothercare Liquid Talc

Brand: Mothercare – an Iconic UK based store dedicated to all things baby.

Range: All We Know

Product: Baby Liquid Talc

Packaging: 125ml white tube.

Cost: $8.95 . Good affordable price .

Label: The simple blue graphics on a white background – suggests a simple, pure, product.

Front: Uncluttered, the product’s name and claims are easy to read.

Back: The ingredient list is under the peel back label.

Formula: Is a rich, creamy lotion that is effortlessly spread onto the skin and dries leaving a powdery, matte after feel with no oily or slippery residue.

The product does leave powdery, clumpy residue (balling) on the hand that is used to apply the cream.

The product does also crust around the nozzle.

Fragrance: The fragrance is soft and powdery but I personally found it a little too strong for a baby product. Though to be fair I don’t have a baby and it might be at that particular level to “disguise” some other not so pleasant smells little babies produce.

Claims:

• The range is hypoallergenic and dermatologically tested
• It has also been tested by an independent panel of midwives, all combining to give you the peace of mind that the products are kind and gentle enough for your newborn baby
• Our clever liquid talc smooths onto the skin and transforms into powder
• Natural extracts

Ingredients / Claims

This product has a simple formula that has been comprehensively tested to substantiate its gentle claim.  I have not come across another baby product that claimed to have been  “midwife tested”, so credit to Mothercare for taking that angle. This would greatly appeal to new mothers.

Tapioca Starch

The product does not contain any talc; in fact it’s the Tapioca Starch that produces the powdery after feel on dry down. I do wonder why Mothercare have chosen not to promote the use of a natural starch that creates the unique “liquid to powder” properties. Rather they have chosen the name “Baby Liquid Talc” insinuating the product contains talc. I can only assume that because talc is a well-known ingredient in baby care products they felt their target consumer group would be more familiar with its properties.

Tapioca starch delivers a soft, silky feel, a reduction in the products greasiness and has good absorption properties that would help keep little moist baby parts dry and prevent nappy chaffing.

Sweet Almond Oil & Olive Oil

Sweet Almond Oil and Olive Oil both have excellent spreadability on the skin and add moisturizing attributes to the cream. They would help in keeping the baby’s skin soft, conditioned and moisturized.

Chamomile Flower Water

Chamomile flower water is known for it’s beneficial soothing properties and its suitability to sensitive skin. This makes it an ideal ingredient for baby products.

Ingredients: Water, Tapioca starch, Alcohol denat., Caprylic/ Capric triglyceride, Glycerin, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond oil), Carbomer, Glyceryl stearate, Parfum (fragrance), PEG-100 stearate, Propylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Imidazolidinyl urea, Polysorbate 60, Methylparaben, Olea europea (olive) fruit oil, Anthemis nobilis (chamomile) flower water, Sodium hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben.

Written by: Penelope Kourkomelis

PS: A Note on Talc.

This is another ingredient that has had a bad press as apparently it contains asbestos! Well, some talc (in its rough form) can and does but the talc used in cosmetics is extremely pure and while it won’t do you any favors to breathe a whole pot of it in, it won’t kill you any time soon. Asbestos is the name given to six types of silicates which have a similar stringy, fibrous consistency.  It is the physical form of the material that is important rather than the chemical constituent and thanks to modern technology this form of talc or mineral can be easily identified and removed.  It may surprise you to know that Asbestos is 100% natural.

 Talc is usually added to give slip, adjusts the colour of a product, give coverage and generally help with binding of the pigments together.