TIPS-tested nappy creams and balms

Follow one of the links below to find out more about the nappy creams and balms we tested:

Best of the best - Weleda Baby Calendula Nappy Change Cream
Best eco-friendly - AlternateStyle Bootiful Bum Balm
Best eco-friendly - Vital Touch Natalia Baby Bottom Butter
Best Organic - Organic Babies Nappy Cream Baby Balm
Best Organic - Essential Care Organic Soothing Salve
Highly commended - MamaBabyBliss Botty Bliss Natural Nappy Cream
Highly commended - Aromababy Barrier Balm
Highly commended - Baby Boo Organic Bottom Balm
Highly commended - Allison England Aromatherapy Soothy Cream
Highly commended - Earth's Best Organic by JASON Diaper Ointment
Highly commended - Earth Friendly Baby Organic Red Clover Nappy Care Cream

[back to top]

Weleda Baby Calendula Nappy Change Cream

RRP: £6.50 for 75mls
Price per ml: 8.66p
Supplied and manufactured by www.weleda.co.uk
Tested October – December 2009

This nappy cream is easy to use and smells gorgeous. The natural ingredients are of the highest quality. All Weleda products come with excellent information leaflets. Comprehensive advice about pregnancy, birth and baby skincare is available on Weleda’s recently updated website. This nappy cream is part of an extensive range of products manufactured by Weleda - a company with outstanding ethical and environmentally-friendly credentials.
Testers were unanimous in their praise for this product. It has a silky smooth consistency that absorbs easily into the skin. This creates a perfect barrier to protect baby’s bottom. The effectiveness of this cream to treat nappy rashes proved exceptional. One Tester suggested Weleda Baby Calendula Nappy Change Cream should be in every change bag.

This is what some of the Testers said:

Love the feel, it forms a very good barrier but is also absorbed easily
It works wonders on rashes of all sorts
A little more expensive but it is cost-effective

Award: Best of the Best

[back to top]

AlternateStyle Bootiful Bum Balm

RRP: £10 for 100gms
Price per gm: 10p
Supplied and manufactured by www.alternatestyle.co.uk
Tested October – December 2009

AlternateStyle is a London based company. It was founded in 2007 by the daughter of a chemical engineer who also ran his own soap manufacturing business in the 1980s. I include these facts because when researching this company I was impressed by their attention to detail and the excellent background knowledge. The Bootiful Bum Balm, like all products in this range, is hand-made in the UK using the best quality natural ingredients. Testers absolutely loved the smell with one scoring it 110! The texture of the product is slightly grainy at first but it melts beautifully into the skin, and a little goes a long way. It is also very effective at calming sore bottoms. AlternateStyle source fair-trade raw materials, use certified organic essential oils and recyclable containers. In recognition of this eco-friendly approach, we are happy to give this product an eco-friendly TIPS award.

This is what some of the Testers said:

I liked the wide and shallow pot which allows you to get the right amount of product
I have slight eczema so I also used it on me!
It works better than anything else I have ever tried, it has the best texture and a lovely clean scent

Award: Best eco-friendly

[back to top]

Vital Touch Natalia Baby Bottom Butter

RRP: £9.50 for 60mls
Price per ml: 15.8p
Supplied and manufactured by www.vitaltouch.com
Tested October – December 2009

Vital Touch was founded by Katie Whitehouse – a Physical and Natural Therapist who specialises in pregnancy, birth and baby massage. It includes two complementary brands: Natalia and Pure Oils. All products are manufactured and hand blended in Devon using 100% natural and organic ingredients.
This luxury product contains shea butter with tea tree, lavender and roman chamomile essential oils. It was a favourite with Testers. Once the butter has been warmed between the fingers, it melts in the hand and can be applied easily.
Vital Touch use ethically and sustainably grown ingredients and manufacture their packaging with recycled, recyclable or reusable materials. Such an environmentally friendly approach helps to make this brand a worthy winner of our Best-eco-friendly award.

This is what some of the Testers said:

I love their website – especially the baby massage information
Definitely helped soothe her skin as well as protecting it in between nappy changes
I used to think of it as over-priced but now I can assure you that its worth every penny

Award: Best eco-friendly

[back to top]

Organic Babies Nappy Cream Baby Balm

RRP: £9.25 for 40mls
Price per ml: 23p
Supplied and manufactured by www.greenpeople.co.uk
Tested October – December 2009

This organic nappy cream really works and is totally safe for even the most delicate bottom.
All products in the Organic Babies range are handmade in small batches using the most natural and organic ingredients. It is suitable for vegetarians and certified by the Organic Food Federation.
All Testers said this nappy balm had exceeded their expectations. They were especially impressed by its fresh scent, how easy it was to use, but mostly by its effectiveness to soothe and calm sore bottoms within hours. Although this product is quite expensive, a little really does go a long way, and Testers thought it was cost effective.

This is what some of the Testers said:

My sister used it on my nephew and called me up to say it had ‘worked a treat’ so she was really impressed
My son had slight redness when I began using it but by the afternoon it had disappeared!
I am very impressed with this product so will be switching to it

Award: Best Organic

[back to top]

Essential Care Organic Soothing Salve

RRP: £17.00 for 175gms
Price per gm: 9.71p
Supplied and manufactured by www.essential-care.co.uk
Tested October – December 2009

Made with 100% certified organic ingredients including fair trade shea butter, this nappy cream is handmade in small batches in Suffolk. Testers liked the graphics that will soon be launched. They particularly liked the size and shape of the container which made dispensing easy. Essential Care’s founder Margaret Weeds has been creating skincare products for 30 years (originally as a remedy for the family’s eczema). Margaret is still responsible for Essential Care’s unique product formulations and she takes great care to use only the highest quality, organic, pure, and ethically-sourced raw ingredients. This attention to detail is reflected in the quality of the information they provide online and on pack. This gorgeous nappy salve cleared up nappy rash overnight. Testers also found it was ideal for dry skin and cradle cap.
There are few truly organic products. The quality of the ingredients makes this product an obvious choice for people who care about the environment, or for anyone with sensitive skin. I am delighted to give Essential Care Organic Soothing Salve a TIPS Best Organic award.

This is what some of the Testers said:

The new packaging looks great, it’s clear, simple and honest
You can tell it is made with love and passion using only natural ingredients
It DOES work so it is cost effective!

Award: Best Organic

[back to top]

MamaBabyBliss Botty Bliss Natural Nappy Cream

RRP: £6.50 for 60mls
Price per ml: 10.8p
Supplied and manufactured by www.mamababybliss.co.uk
Tested October – December 2009

Testers loved the fragrance of this nappy cream describing it as fresh, natural and a nice surprise. Manufactured with natural ingredients, this product was effective for nappy rash and other dry skin conditions. Some Testers said it was difficult to dispense because of the crumbly texture. However, once applied it provides a good barrier. This product is quite expensive, but Testers who found it suited their baby’s skin said they would be more than happy to buy this product.

This is what some of the Testers said:

MamaBabyBliss is a wonderful brand with a very supportive holistically focused website
My daughters bottom was slightly red at the start of testing but within a few days it had completely cleared and it stayed that way.
My eldest daughter had a little left on her hands and I was worried it might aggravate her eczema but we actually saw an improvement

Award: Highly commended

[back to top]

Aromababy Barrier Balm

RRP: £17 for 100gms
Price per gm: 17p
Supplied and manufactured by www.aromababy.com
Tested October – December 2009

Testers just loved this product. Aromababy Barrier Balm contains a base of pure cold pressed sweet almond oil and natural beeswax combined with a blend of calendula, evening primrose and gmo free natural vitamin E oils plus pure essential oil of German chamomile. It appeared to cure redness or sore bottoms with a few applications. The balm scored less because it is imported from Australia - this increases its carbon footprint for UK customers. Testers enjoyed the way it melted in their fingers making it easy to apply. All agreed that the product really does last a long time.

This is what some of the Testers said:

Very effective, it calmed and soothed nappy rash overnight
Brilliantly effective as a salve or a healing balm on sore or rough skin
A luxury product which lasts for ages

Award: Highly commended

[back to top]

Baby Boo Organic Bottom Balm

RRP: £10 for 200gms
Price per gm: 5p
Supplied and manufactured by www.babyboo-organics.co.uk
Tested October – December 2009

Baby Boo is the new baby on the block. It offers a delightful range of affordable products containing Soil Association accredited organic ingredients. The range originally included a baby bodywash, shampoo and foaming cleanser, more recently Baby Boo launched a bottom balm, a baby lotion and a massage oil.
An ethical approach to production, packaging and recyclability combine to reduce the carbon footprint of this company. Testers liked the consistency of this balm and how easily and smoothly it absorbed onto the skin. It was effective at treating sore bottoms. The price is highly competitive for an organic product.

This is what some of the Testers said:

Quite a waxy like texture but this makes it easy to scoop onto the finger for application
My daughter’s skin felt lovely and smooth after using the balm
Better on the pocket and better on the environment

Award: Highly commended

[back to top]

Allison England Aromatherapy Soothy Cream

RRP: £5.30 for 30gms
Price per gm: 17.6p
Supplied and manufactured by www.allisonenglandaromatherapy.co.uk
Tested October – December 2009

Allison England is a former nurse, mother to five and a fellow of the International Federation of Aromatherapists. Over 25 years ago, using her specialist knowledge of aromatherapy, she developed a unique range of mother and baby products. This range is now available from her new website. Minimum amounts of essential oils and naturally soothing extracts from carefully sourced suppliers are incorporated into a selection of hand blended products. Testers appreciated the fact that Allison England Aromatherapy Soothy Cream doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients and were impressed by how easy it was to apply.

This is what some of the Testers said:

I also tried it on my very sensitive skin and had no reaction to the product
Information on-pack tell you how to use it and lists all the ingredients
If my little one suffered with nappy rash I would definitely consider it

Award: Highly commended

[back to top]

Earth’s Best Organic by JASON Diaper Relief Ointment

RRP: £6.99 for 113gms
Price per gm: 6.18p
Supplied and manufactured by www.kinetic4health.co.uk
Tested October – December 2009

Kinetic Natural Products Distributors was founded in the early 1990s by brothers Alexander and Kim. Earth’s Best Organic by JASON range is one of the many natural brands available on their website. Testers were impressed with the handy flip-top lid which keeps the cream free from germs. However the cream has to be dispensed carefully to avoid making a mess. The product scored less because the packaging is not recyclable and because it is imported from the USA – this increases its carbon footprint for UK customers. Testers felt this was a handy product for their change bag with a very reasonable price tag for a natural product.

This is what some of the Testers said:

The best nappy cream I have used for ease of application – lovely consistency
The ointment would also be suitable for sunburn and scalds
A natural herbal fragrance which I really liked for a baby product

Award: Highly commended

[back to top]

Earth Friendly Baby Organic Red Clover Nappy Care Cream

RRP: £5.49 for 113gms
Price per gm: 4.85p
Supplied and manufactured by www.earthfriendlybaby.co.uk
Tested October – December 2009

Harnessing the anti-inflammatory properties of red clover, this natural nappy cream acted as an excellent barrier. It helped to treat red bottoms with just a few applications. This product is quite thick and Testers suggested it would be easier to dispense from a tub rather than the tube it currently comes in. This cream scored less because it is imported from the USA – this increases its carbon footprint for UK customers. Testers thought the product was reasonably priced and liked the fact that it was available in two sizes (one for home and one for travelling – this is especially useful for the busy parent).

This is what some of the Testers said: