Would you put perfume on your baby?
Scents are the new baby trend in the UK? So says the Daily Mail. So is there really a new range of fragrances targeting the under 2s?
There's nothing quite like a baby's natural smell. Just a splash of baby bath, a dash of skin cream, and a hint of nappy rash cream – these are the only gentle scents that most mums will allow to mask it.
But apparently a new trend for baby perfumes is sweeping the nation. "Scent for babies has always existed but it used to be very niche and very expensive," Lorna McKay, a former perfume buyer at Harrods and co-founder of The Perfume Society, tells the Daily Mail. "Now, everyone wants to dab scent on their child, as long as it is gentle on the skin and doesn’t contain any nasty chemicals."
"Everyone" really? Hmmm, let's look at what's on offer…
A quick Google for baby perfume shows a variety of scents aimed at infants. But most are from luxury brands, such as Bulgari, Burberry and Bonpoint, and the majority have been around for at least a couple of years. So much for a new trend, then.
One example is Ptisenbon alcohol-free skin fragrance, from £20, for babies aged between 0 and 2, sold at Tartine et Chocolat, a French children’s emporium in Mayfair.
"The Ptisenbon range is respectful of baby's skin and body fragrance and is specially formulated to ensure maximum safety," its website states. "Perfumes for babies are always made without alcohol and tend to be very dilute; barely there in some cases," perfume expert Lorna explains.
Perhaps one surprise in this high-end market is Johnson's Baby cologne (above right), described as a gentle, fresh fragrance with a pleasant combination of floral and citrus hints. Interestingly, it's not sold in the UK market (although you can get it via Amazon.co.uk), but is sold in the US. Perhaps the UK market just isn't ready for baby cologne?
So have you, or would you, use perfume on your baby? Let us know in the comments below...
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