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It’s no surprise if you find yourself browsing ingredient lists and combing through endless reviews to settle on the perfect products for your baby. This is likely especially true when it comes to products that you use on your baby’s skin daily, such as baby soap.

Baby skin is more sensitive and prone to rashes than adults, mainly because their tiny immune systems are still maturing, explains Leslie Solomonian, ND, associate professor at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. “As a result, baby soaps tend to be marketed as gentler and less irritating,” she says.

When it comes to shopping for baby soaps, you may be overwhelmed by the all the brands out there offering all sorts of soaps using different ingredients and scents.

Parents should pay close attention to what ingredients baby soaps don’t contain, according to Rina Allawh, MD, a dermatologist at Montgomery Dermatology in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Ideally a baby soap should not contain fragrances, a known allergen that can worsen dry and eczema-prone skin, according to research. Sulfates are another no-no, specifically sodium lauryl sulfate.

“Sulfates may cause skin irritation and strip the natural essential oils from the top layer of the skin causing peeling and dry skin,” says Allawh.

“Preservatives, including parabens, methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) methylisothiazolinone (MI), salicylic acid, formaldehyde, and methyl dibromo glutaronitrile, should not be used, especially for babies, as they may cause skin irritation, itching, skin allergic rashes, and worsen eczema.”

Other ingredients to avoid in your baby soap are niacinamide, glycerin, ceramides, and alcohol.

When creating this list, we relied heavily on the advice of board certified dermatologists to ensure that we were selecting baby soaps containing the most beneficial and non-harmful ingredients. We also considered Environmental Working Group (EWG) ratings as well as customer reviews.

You’ll be slathering quite a lot of soap on your baby’s skin, especially during bath time, and the last thing you want to worry about is whether or not a certain brand might cause irritation.

Pricing guide

  • $ = under $10
  • $$ = $10–$20
  • $$$ = over $20

Best baby soap overall

Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Wash & Shampoo

Price: $

Aveeno is a well-respected skin care brand, so it’s no surprise they make a baby wash and shampoo that’s recommended by dermatologists.

“Aveeno baby wash and shampoo contains ultra-gentle cleansing ingredients along with colloidal oatmeal,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

Zeichner notes: “Colloidal oatmeal is a skin protectant, which hydrates, soothes, and calms the skin.”

Best baby soap for dry skin

Eucerin Baby Wash & Shampoo

Price: $

This two-for-one formula washes both the skin and the hair, providing nourishing ingredients that clean and moisturize all areas of your baby’s body.

“The formula contains panthenol, which has soothing benefits, along with shea butter, which hydrates and softens the outer skin layer,” adds Zeichner.

Best organic baby soap

Nature's Baby Organics Shampoo & Body Wash

Price: $$

This gentle baby shampoo also triples as a body and face wash. It’s formulated with mostly organic ingredients, including a blend of aloe, calendula, and chamomile. It’s vegan and is free of 1,400 chemicals that the European Union has found to be harmful.

Best baby soap for eczema

CeraVe Baby Wash & Shampoo

Price: $

“This two-in-one wash and shampoo contains one-third lotion, which provides that extra boost of hydration that babies, especially those prone to eczema, can benefit from,” says Allawh. It’s also fragrance-free and formulated without harsh chemicals including parabens, dyes, phthalates, and sulfates.”

Best baby soap bubbles

Babyganics Shampoo + Body Wash

Price: $$

This brand of baby products prides themselves on their plant-derived formulas that are made without harsh ingredients like parabens, sulfates, phthalates, mineral oil, petrolatum, artificial fragrances, or dyes.

Their baby shampoo and wash is extra foaming so it creates lots of bubbles for a fun bath time.

Best baby soap for shampoo and body wash combined

Burt's Bees Baby Shampoo & Wash

Price: $$

Most parents know and trust Burt’s Bees Baby for their clean and natural ingredients. The brand’s baby shampoo, which also doubles as a full baby wash, contains a natural, plant-based cleansing complex with soy proteins that the company says can help alleviate dry skin.

This shampoo and body wash combo is 98.9 percent natural and formulated without harsh ingredients such as phthalates, parabens, or petrolatum.

Best baby soap fragrance

Johnson's Head-To-Toe Wash & Shampoo

Price: $

If you’re going to go for a scented baby wash, you might as well choose the ultimate classic: Johnson’s Head-To-Toe Wash & Shampoo. Their newest version is hypoallergenic and made without harsh ingredients such as parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and dyes, yet it smells just like the classic your parents used on you as an infant.

Best baby soap for newborns

Baby Dove Derma Care Soothing Wash

Price: $$

This tear-free baby wash is formulated for a newborn’s extra sensitive skin and contains 100 percent natural nutrients and ingredients — no parabens, phthalates, sulfates, dyes, or fragrance. Even the packaging is eco-friendly.

What’s more, the colloidal oatmeal helps protect against dry skin and eczema without causing dryness or irritation, notes Zeichner.

Best baby soap available in subscription or bundle

The Honest Company Baby Shampoo + Body Wash

Price: $

This subscription-based company co-founded by mompreneur and actress Jessica Alba has become a favorite among parents. The tear-free formula contains naturally derived botanicals and essential oils and is made without harsh chemicals.

Best baby soap for baby acne

Mustela Baby 2 in 1 Cleansing Gel

Price: $$

While not marketed to tackle baby acne, parents of infants with breakouts swear by it. Infant acne usually subsides after the first month or two, but in the interim this cleansing gel can make all the difference.

Mustela’s soap — designed for hair and body — is nice and delicate on sensitive baby skin, hypoallergenic, and formulated with plant-based biodegradable ingredients.

Best bar soap

Vanicream Cleansing Bar

Price: $$

Even though this bar soap is marketed for adult use, Allawh says it’s an ideal product to use for babies, especially those with sensitive, dry, and eczema-prone skin. “This product is fragrance-free, lanolin-free, gluten-free, formaldehyde-free, and paraben-free,” she adds.