Cetaphil Baby Wash and Shampoo

Deciding which baby shampoo to buy can be tricky—there are just so many options to choose from, each with different benefits to offer. With vitamins B5 and E to protect dry skin and hydrate, Cetaphil Baby Wash and Shampoo is a great option if you’re looking for a product that’s good for sensitive skin and nicely scented.

Before we began investigating the effectiveness of this shampoo and wash, we measured its pH. As you might (or might not!) recall from your high school chemistry class, pH is a scale that indicates how acidic or alkaline (basic) a liquid is, and it’s actually pretty important in skin care. After all, when you’re washing your little one’s hair, you’re washing their scalp, too. Research suggests that baby wash products should have a pH around 5.5 (up to 7). Products that don’t have a pH around this optimal level can affect baby’s skin barrier, which can contribute to skin conditions like eczema. In our lab tests, Cetaphil Baby Wash and Shampoo's pH measured 5.5—good news for your wee one’s tender skin.

Once we determined that this shampoo has a good pH for babies, the next step was making sure it does the job it’s supposed to do: getting your baby clean. All of our parent testers agreed that Cetaphil Baby Wash and Shampoo left their child’s hair feeling clean and soft, and that it effectively removed dirt, spit-up and baby food. It even helped clear up one baby's cradle cap. None of our testers reported any skin sensitivities to the product—not surprising, since Cetaphil is pediatrician-recommended and dermatologist-tested.

This wash and shampoo is free of parabens—suspected endocrine disruptors—which will comfort parents who worry about ingredients. It does contain parfum, though, and many parents choose to avoid scented baby products. While our editors and testers found the vanilla scent to be somewhat strong, it isn’t overpowering and doesn’t linger long. One of our parent testers said it reminded her of ice cream.

Ease of use is also really important when it comes to choosing Today’s Parent Approved products, and when you're handling a slippery baby, the last thing you want to think about is struggling to open a shampoo bottle and get the shampoo on your little one's head. Our testers had no problem opening Cetaphil Baby Wash and Shampoo with one the flick of a thumb. They also said the bottle is shaped to fit nicely in your hand, and its textured surface makes it easy to grip. That said, the pour control was less than ideal: some testers said the product comes out too quickly, even with just a gentle squeeze, leading to drips on the bottle that needed to be wiped down—which also means wasted product.

FINAL WORD

Cetaphil Baby Wash and Shampoo cleans well, rinses out well and smells lovely—all the things you want in a baby shampoo. Our parent testers were happy with this baby shampoo, rating its quality, ease of use and value above average overall. Most told us it performs as well as or better than other baby shampoos they’ve used in the past, and all of our parent testers would recommend it to other parents. Given this, it’s no surprise that both our editors and parent testers feel this baby shampoo deserves the Today’s Parent Approved seal.