Chicco offers many wonderful baby products. I have tried their baby lotion, gentle baby shower wash and shampoo, and we are currently using their sunscreen for kids and their toothpaste. They have two variants in the toothpastes, one in the strawberry flavour for babies 12 months up and the other is the one I am reviewing today.
I actually have tried the one for 12 months up first for Hanifa and then moved to this one. She loved the strawberry one and is fine with brushing with this one too but I noticed she brushed for longer with the strawberry flavour.
This one is in the form of a thick white paste and you can smell and feel it’s minty green apple flavour. Because it is not a gel, it foams and lathers less and I think that’s fine. Since it is for younger babies I am assuming there was no point in adding much of lathering agents as babies would not be able to move it around their mouths much .
Let’s get straight to the ingredients and what they do:
- HYDROGENATED STARCH HYDROLYSATE :Rating: GOOD
This corn-derived ingredient functions as a hydrator and film-forming agent and potentially has antioxidant properties.
- AQUA : Rating : EXCELLENT
- HYDRATED SILICA :Rating: GOOD
It is used as an absorbent powder and thickening agent. Silica particles can enhance the absorption of other ingredients.
- XYLITOL :Rating: GOOD
Similar to glycerine, it is a hydrating ingredient, thickening agent, and slip agent.
- GLYCERIN : Rating : EXCELLENT
Glycerine is a humectant, meaning that it attracts water. When glycerine is applied to the skin, it seals in moisture that might otherwise escape. Glycerine is present in all natural lipids (fats), whether animal or vegetable. It can be derived from natural substances and can also be synthetically manufactured.
- CELLULOSE GUM :Rating: GOOD
Any of various fibrous substances derived from plants. Cellulose gum is a natural ingredient that is most often used as a thickener but also used as a film-forming agent. This ingredient has been deemed safe as used in cosmetics by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel.
- TITANIUM DIOXIDE : Rating: BEST
Inert earth mineral used as a thickening agent as well as commonly for whitening, lubricating, and sunscreen ingredient in cosmetics.
Titanium dioxide is typically micronized and coated and the micronizing makes this somewhat heavy-feeling ingredient easier to spread. Micronized titanium dioxide does not penetrate skin so there’s no need to be concerned about it getting into your body so here it is basically added so that the product spreads easily.
- SODIUM LAUROYL SARCOSINATE :Rating: GOOD
Surfactant used for its foam-boosting properties.
- AROMA/FLAVOR : Rating: AVERAGE
Seeing “aroma/flavor” on an ingredient list can be either good or bad. For example, if the aroma or flavor comes from mint or citrus, it can be sensitizing. But if the source is something more innocuous, like vanilla, then it shouldn’t pose a risk.
According to the Personal Care Product Council’s Ingredient Database, “Aroma is a term for ingredient labeling used to identify that a product contains a material or combination of materials normally added to a cosmetic to produce or to mask a particular flavor.” The point to be aware of is what kind of flavor your lips (or skin) are being exposed to—and whether or not the exposure poses a risk of sensitivity. Last, be aware that highly flavored lip products can encourage lip-licking—after all, such products do tend to taste good—but they shouldn’t be eaten, and licking your lips too often can cause or worsen dry lips.Thankfully here , it is used in negligible quantities.
- SUCRALOSE: Rating : GOOD
It is a zero-calorie artificial sweetener. Sucralose is made from sugar, in a multi-step chemical process where 3 hydrogen-oxygen groups are replaced with chlorine atoms. Sucralose may raise blood sugar and insulin levels in people who do not consume artificial sweeteners regularly. However, it probably has no effect in people who regularly use artificial sweeteners. For it’s use in this toothpaste, it is absolutely safe.
Overall verdict:
♥← 9 out of 10 ingredients are green with excellent or good ratings with only 1 average ingredient. Need I say more. Go brush those tiny pearls happily !
