Time to pinch your grandchild’s nappy cream!
Are you a mum or a grandma who’s secretly dipping in to your little one’s products?
You’re probably not alone. Despite the age gap, mature skin has many of the same issues as baby skin — dryness, sensitivity and irritation.
Dr Jennifer Crawley, consultant dermatologist for award- winning British brand Childs Farm, explains: ‘Much like a baby’s skin, more mature skin needs extra special care to keep it healthy and hydrated. During the menopause, it can become drier and more prone to irritation.
‘As we age, oestrogen levels fall, and skin becomes thinner and loses the ability to hold water. The PH level also changes, which can lead to dryness, sensitivity and fragility.’
Indeed, Childs Farm reports that 40 per cent of its buyers don’t have children themselves. It seems we’re happy to have packaging with gambolling lambs and sleeping ducks on our bathroom shelves, if what’s inside is kind to our dry, irritated and sensitive skin. And, in many cases, it’s far cheaper than the grown-up version.
So, what are the best crossgenerational products? read on to find out . . .
THE FLUSH-BUSTER
MooGoo Soothing MSM cream (£12, 270g, moogooskincare.co.uk) AngrY, red cheeks aren’t just confined to teething babies. They can strike in menopause when hot flushes cause rosacea, making skin inflamed. Step forward Moogoo Soothing MSM cream, a natural nourishing moisturiser with 10 per cent MSM (organic sulphur), a powerful soothing agent for skin. It also contains squalene, an antioxidant, which enhances skin elasticity and moisture retention, and protects from free-radical damage. The pH-balanced moisturiser is rich, but has a fine texture.
NAPPY CREAM FOR HANDS
Childs Farm Nappy Cream as hand cream (£4, 100ml, childsfarm.com) BABY’S bottoms and chapped middle- aged hands aren’t so different — they both get wet frequently and need a strong skin barrier to prevent redness and chafing. Many nappy creams use zinc as a physical moisture barrier. However this one from Childs Farm keeps the natural skin barrier robust from within using cell-plumping super moisturisers such as cacao and shea butter. Because it has to keep baby’s bottom dry, the cream is designed to sink in quickly. This makes it perfect as a hand cream that won’t leave smeary marks on everything. It contains soothing aloe vera, is unfragranced, and a steal at £4.
BRUSH THAT HELPS SAVE FRAGILE HAIR
PK Kids Children’s Grooming Brush (currently half price at £6, philipkingsley.co.uk) THIS super- lightweight brush may have been made for small hands, but it has become a firm a favourite with the older generation. Created by the trichologists at Philip Kingsley, the brush has the same widely-spaced and rounded pins used in the brand’s more expensive adult brushes. These are brilliant at minimising pulling — avoiding tears for grandchildren and grandmothers, and preserving fragile hair.
ANTI-SPOT WONDER BALM
Aurelia Comfort and Calm Rescue Cream (£28, 50g, aureliaskincare.com) THIS is one of those creams that mums whip out to treat any bump, bruise or irritation.
It smells like calm in a pot thanks to lavender, calendula and chamomile, but has so many skincare benefits too, from skin-barrier boosting probiotics to antimicrobial silver (that zapped my chin spot overnight) and bruise control arnica, as well as being organic (hence the price tag).
An award-winner, it’s one to have in your handbag for emergencies at any age, including dry patches, chapped lips, sunburn, flaking cuticles, spots, even insect bites (probiotics calm the skin’s immune triggers). Or just rub it between your palms and take a deep breath when you need a moment of calm.
THE NEW HOT CLOTH
Cuddledry Natural Sea Sponge (£5.99, cuddledry.com) WHenever Cuddledry exhibits at baby shows, it’s the grandmas who gravitate towards these super-soft sea sponges — for themselves.
These natural creatures hold up to 30 times their weight in water, and are worth ditching your hot cloth for.
They allow for a much more targeted cleanse than a soggy flannel — without adding to landfill or ocean plastic with cotton pads and wipes.
The low pH makes them ideal for sensitive skin. Used with a cleanser or balm, they make light work of make- up and leave skin soft. Cuddledry sources them ethically from a family farm in the Philippines and, at £5.99, it’s a bargain.
GENTLE SHAMPOO TO FIGHT FRIZZ
Childs Farm Sensitive Scalp Shampoo (£5, 250ml, childsfarm.com) HAIr becomes finer as we age, and this gentle shampoo, made for wispy baby locks, is perfect for 50+ flyaway hair.
The magic is in its use of one of skincare’s buzz ingredients — salicylic acid made from willow bark, which is found in toners and anti-blemish lotions. It calms irritation and gently sloughs off dead skin, which can weigh fine hair down.
As a baby shampoo, it helps treat cradle cap. For grown- ups it targets dandruff and itchy, flaky scalps in a gentle way. It also contains argan oil to moisturise both hair and scalp. Best of all? It’s just £5 and fragrance free.
HAIR-SMOOTHING BAMBOO TOWEL
Cuddletwist Bamboo Hair Towel (£9.99, cuddledry.com) ADUlT hair towels tend to be either bulky and pricey (thanks to vAT) or at the budget end, made of cheap fabric. This bamboo towel, designed for little ones who hate having their hair rubbed dry, is too good not to borrow from your favourite tot. It cuts drying time and, as older hair tends to be more fragile, the less time spent heat styling the better. And because it fits snugly, pulling back your skin, it’s a non-surgical face-lift, too.
BOTTOM BALM DEODORANT
Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Cream to Powder (£9.30, 113g, feelunique.com) One of the newest textures in beauty is ‘cream to powder’ — used in products such as blushers to give a glide-on feel and matte finish. You can see why mums love this particular cream to powder for their baby’s bottoms — it moisturises and absorbs wetness, and makes a discreet mattifier when you are feeling shiny after the gym or a hot flush. It also has soothing aloe and a citrussy fragrance.