What to watch for in children's products

Short answer: the two habits that help most with children's products are checking added sugar and colourants in food, and fragrance and cleanser harshness in care products. The aim is not fear; it is seeing what a child is exposed to daily and how often, and reducing what is unnecessary.

Why are a child's skin and body different?

Children are not small adults. The ratio of body surface area to weight is much higher than in adults, so a substance absorbed through skin corresponds to a higher dose per kilogram. In the same way they eat and drink more per kilogram, which pushes an additive's intake per kilogram above that of an adult. This does not mean the products are dangerous; it means regulators take this difference into account when setting limits.

There is a difference on the skin side too. In babies the outermost layer is thinner, and both the protective acid mantle and the barrier function are still maturing in the first months. That is why baby skin dries out faster and reacts more quickly to irritants.

In food: azo dyes and the mandatory warning

A group of synthetic dyes used in coloured sweets, jelly, cake decorations and some drinks falls under a special rule because of possible effects on activity and attention in children. The European Union requires products containing these dyes to carry the warning 'may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children'. The warning is not a ban; it is information given so consumers can choose.

There are also products that use naturally derived colourants such as beetroot red, curcumin or paprika extract instead of these dyes. Looking at the ingredient list is enough to see which one is used; our what is an E-number page gives the meanings of the codes. Titanium dioxide (E171) was also used in white sweet coatings; it was banned in food in the European Union in 2022 and in Türkiye in 2024, with the details on our titanium dioxide page.

In food: added sugar

The single most decisive heading in children's nutrition is probably added sugar. The World Health Organization recommends keeping free sugars below 10 percent of daily energy, and going down to 5 percent for additional benefit. Because a child's daily energy need is lower than an adult's, that percentage also corresponds to a small number in grams; a single carton of fruit drink can use up a large part of the budget on its own.

In practice the most commonly missed place is drinks. Fruit juice, flavoured milk and iced tea do not feel like 'food', so they are not counted, yet much of the sugar comes from there. It is worth remembering that sugar can appear under different names on a label: glucose syrup, invert sugar, fruit juice concentrate and corn syrup are all sugar. Even in categories positioned as 'children's products', such as breakfast cereal, the sugar content varies a great deal between products; to compare them see our best breakfast cereals list.

In food: salt

Salt is discussed less than sugar in children's nutrition but matters just as much. The kidneys are still maturing in the early years, and children's salt requirement is far lower than an adult's. The problem is not the salt shaker but the invisible salt inside ready-made products: bread, processed meat, instant soup, crisps and some cheeses. Checking salt per 100 grams on the label is the most practical approach; above 1.5 grams counts as high and below 0.3 grams as low.

In food: caffeine and energy drinks

Energy drinks carry a label notice that they are not recommended for children, and the reason is caffeine. The same amount of caffeine has a stronger effect in a smaller body; sleeplessness, palpitations and restlessness are among the reported effects. Caffeine is not only in energy drinks but also in cola, tea and chocolate, so the daily total is what matters.

In care products: fragrance and its allergens

Fragrance is the most common cause of allergic contact reactions in cosmetics, and this is even more pronounced on sensitive children's skin. On the label it appears as the single word 'Parfum', but the European Union requires known fragrance allergens to be listed separately above certain thresholds, which is why you see names such as Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol and Geraniol. These are not poison, and most are natural components of essential oils; but they are the first thing to cut when looking for a source of irritation.

One distinction in wording helps: 'fragrance-free' means no fragrance has been added. 'Unscented' can mean a masking fragrance was used to hide the smell of the raw materials. On a children's product the wording you want is 'fragrance-free'; the details are on our parfum ingredient page.

In care products: how harsh the cleanser is

Plenty of foam is often the reason a baby or child bath product is bought, but the amount of foam says nothing about the quality of the cleaning. Strong foaming agents such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate can strip too much of the skin's own oil layer and strain a barrier that is already thin. Names like Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside and Coco-Glucoside usually point to gentler formulas. You can find the reason for the difference in harshness on our SLS ingredient page.

In care products: sun protection

Sunburn in childhood accounts for a significant share of long-term skin damage, which makes sun protection more critical in children than in adults. Guidelines recommend shade and clothing first for very young babies, with sunscreen as the second step. Mineral filters (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide) are usually better tolerated on sensitive skin. For application appropriate to your baby's age, consulting your doctor is the right course.

What do 'for babies' and 'natural' labels tell you?

Most claims on the front of a pack have no binding legal definition. 'For babies' implies a formula designed to be gentler but is not a guarantee on its own. 'Hypoallergenic' has no binding standard. 'Natural' is undefined too, and plant extracts can themselves be allergens, with chamomile and lavender being well-known examples. The only reliable source of information is the ingredient list on the back.

In food: processed meat and nitrites

Processed meats such as sausage, salami and sucuk use nitrites (E249, E250) and nitrates (E251, E252) as preservatives. Their function is real: they prevent the growth of the bacterium that causes botulism, so they do a safety job. On the other hand, nitrite is known to be able to react with components of the meat during high-temperature cooking and form nitrosamines, and those compounds are a cause for concern. In children's nutrition the sensible approach is to keep processed meat as an occasional rather than a daily category, which also matches the general advice given for processed meat.

In care products: wet wipes and the nappy area

Wet wipes are the most frequent and most repeated contact product in baby care, which makes their contents important. There are two things to look at: fragrance and the preservative system. Fragrance-free options lower the risk of irritation. Wipes containing alcohol can be drying on a sensitive area. During episodes of nappy rash many guidelines suggest warm water and cotton wool instead of wipes, followed by patting the area dry; the reason is not that the product is bad but that any additional substance feels harsher on already irritated skin. Persistent or spreading rash needs a doctor.

Packaging and portions: two factors that get missed

Nutrition values on children's products are often given per portion, and when the portion is kept small the label looks better than it is. If a whole pack is eaten in one go, the correct reading is the total per pack. The second thing that gets missed is multipacks: products that look small individually push total sugar and salt well above expectations when several are eaten across a day. Reading the label per 100 grams removes both traps.

Practical notes by age

• Newborn and the first months: the skin barrier is still maturing, and keeping the number of products low and choosing fragrance-free is a common approach.
• Infancy: bath frequency and water temperature can matter more than the product itself; very hot, long baths dry the skin.
• Preschool: exposure to coloured sweets and fruit drinks rises quickly here, and managing frequency is easier than managing quantity.
• School age: caffeinated and energy drinks enter the picture; the label notice that they are not recommended for children was written for this age.
• Adolescence: acne products come into use; adding high-strength actives one at a time and slowly reduces irritation.

Common mistakes

• Trusting the 'for children' claim on the front and never reading the back.
• Assuming fruit juice is sugar-free: free sugars from fruit also count towards the sugar budget.
• Taking plenty of foam as good cleaning: the amount of foam says nothing about how gentle the formula is.
• Focusing on a single product and missing the weekly frequency: regular exposure is what really decides.
• Treating plant-based ingredients as automatically safe: extracts such as chamomile and lavender can be allergens too.

A check at the shelf

• Look at the first five ingredients; that is where the product's real composition is told.
• In food, look at sugar and salt per 100 grams, not per portion.
• On a coloured product, look for E102, E104, E110, E122, E124, E129 and the warning beside them.
• On a care product, check for the 'fragrance-free' wording and allergen names such as Limonene and Linalool.
• In a cleanser, prefer products where gentle surfactants rather than harsh foaming agents come earlier in the list.

What it means when you see this on the label

Thirty seconds at the shelf when two products look alike

The real difficulty when shopping is not judging one product but standing there with two boxes in your hands. In that case working through a sequence is the quickest route, and the first two steps usually settle it.

• Are they in the same category? Comparing a cereal with a biscuit skews the result, so level the category first.
• For food, look at the sugar per 100 g; if the gap between the two is under a few grams, it is not decisive here and you move on to the other criteria.
• If one product carries the colour warning and the other does not, favour the one without it; on the sweets aisle this single step is often enough.
• For a care product, look at the fragrance line first; the fragrance free option is a more comfortable starting point for sensitive skin than a scented equivalent at the same price.
• If the two look alike, compare pack sizes; a smaller pack makes frequency easier to manage.

Who this matters most for

• Families with a baby: while the skin barrier is still maturing in the first months, keeping the number of products low makes the biggest difference.
• Children with a history of allergy or eczema: fragrance and botanical extracts are read more carefully here, and the path to follow is set by a doctor.
• Parents of preschoolers: exposure to brightly coloured sweets and fruit drinks rises quickly at this age.
• Nursery and school age: breakfast and snack choices repeat every day, so these categories decide most of the total sugar and salt.
• Teenagers: this is when acne products enter the picture, and adding actives one at a time and slowly reduces irritation.

The lunchbox: frequency matters more than quantity

In children's nutrition, banning a single product rarely helps; the real difference shows up in how many times a week it repeats. The lunchbox is where this is most visible, because the same choice repeats every weekday. A practical way to look at it is to sort what goes into the box into three groups: every day, a few times a week, and occasionally. Fruit drinks, coated biscuits and brightly coloured sweets settle into the first group in most homes without anyone noticing. Moving them into the third group is both easier and more durable than banning individual products. Using the per 100 g figures when you compare also removes the confusion created by different pack sizes; we explained how letters speed that comparison up in what Nutri-Score is.

Toothpaste: fluoride and how much to use

Fluoride is the question that comes up most with children's toothpaste. The label usually gives the fluoride level in ppm, and products aimed at children may keep that figure lower. Two separate questions get mixed up here: which fluoride level is appropriate, and how much paste should be used. The answer to both depends on the child's age and dental health, so it is a decision to put to a dentist. We can show you where each piece of information sits on the label, but we cannot set the right amount. Labels may also list sweeteners and colours; with young children who tend to swallow the paste, it is worth raising that detail with a professional.

Do children's products have to be expensive?

No. Products labelled for babies and children are often dearer than the adult versions in the same category, but the price gap does not always match a difference in formula. The place where the decision is made stays the same: the ingredient list on the back. An affordable cleanser formulated fragrance free and with gentle surfactants can be more comfortable on sensitive skin than a scented, expensive equivalent. Food works the same way; a cereal positioned for children can carry more sugar than a plain product on the same shelf. We looked at the link between price and contents separately in is an expensive product always better, and if you want to compare the ingredient breakdown of two products you can use the Discover section.

Without losing balance

None of this means 'one slice of brightly coloured cake is poison'. A birthday cake, an occasional fizzy drink or a scented shampoo is not a problem on its own. What decides is regular, high exposure and repeated irritation. The most realistic approach is to move coloured, heavily processed products out of the daily habit and into the occasional category, and to make simple, fragrance-free products the default in care. To see a product's ingredients and score you can scan its label.

Note: this article is general information, not medical advice, and it does not recommend specific products. If your child has persistent redness, itching or a rash, if you have a concern about their diet, or if you are unsure whether a product suits them, consult your doctor or pharmacist.