Baby Steps... into Scents

And who might all these clean-smelling fragrances in their pretty little pastel bottles be for? Thanks to Moms and the inventiveness of certain perfume creators, infants can enter the refined world of perfume without leaving their cradles!

By Muriel Picard . 12/04/01

Soft skin, downy hair, talcum powder and silky soft cuddly toys... A whole world of smells that inevitably call up feelings of tenderness, purity and innocence. For perfume creators, the challenge lies in recreating these gentle sensations in their vials and testers.
"Even more than any other perfume, an eau de toilette for babies elicits an emotional response", says Olivia Jean, a creator-perfumer for Robertet. "Each creator approaches this in a personal way, but whatever the blend, it must convey the fresh and delicate atmosphere we instantly associate with babyhood."
And which components are most attractive to mothers? Hesperides (citrus-scented) are favorites: tangerine, bergamot and lemon, coupled with sweet-smelling orange blossom and verbena and topped with shades of white floral notes, which add a delicate powdery scent, surprisingly close to the delicate smell of talcum powder.

A rigorously screened formula

Baby fragrances are not composed in the same manner as women's or men's. For one thing, infants' skin is exceedingly delicate and fragile. For another, since their pigmentary and immune systems are still immature, their skin is particularly sensitive to external aggression. And finally, the skin-surface-to-weight ratio is 7-to-8 times higher for babies than it is for adults. This means that even a small quantity of a given ingredient can be absorbed through the skin in much greater concentration in babies' bodies than in adults'. With all the risk of allergic or toxic reactions that that entails.
So in addition to rigorous hypoallergenic tests, the IFRA (French Institute for Fragrance Control) publishes a very restrictive list of authorised components. Alcohol is strictly prohibited, as it not only dries the skin, but it can also penetrate into the body through the pores and respiratory tracts, given its volatile nature. It is only from age three or four that children may wear eaux de toilettes with a 30% alcohol-level... as opposed to the 80% found in traditional perfume.

A few drops will do!

Despite all these precautions, it is never advisable to drench a baby in Mom's favorite fragrance.
"Tests on raw materials, no matter how stringent they are, can't be 100% reliable," says Dr. Catherine Grillon, a pediatrician in Paris. "So we can never guarantee that an infant won't develop an allergy when exposed to a scented substance."

You can't go wrong with these

There are two versions of special baby fragrances: alcohol-free eau de senteur for the very young, and a low-alcohol content eau for bigger children. Among the best are:
- Petit Guerlain, created by Jean-Paul Guerlain in 1994, a surprising composition of orange, mint and camomile.
- Ptisenbon (Li'l Smell-Good) by Tartine et Chocolat (a line of exquisite children's-clothing boutiques), a tender bouquet of honeysuckle, jasmine and lily-of-the-valley.
- Eau des Petits by Jacadi (Simon Says, another line of boutiques for kids) blends lime and white flowers.
- Petits et Maman by Bulgari, a delicate blend of white flowers with a deliciously powdery end note.
- Kaloo, the new kid on the block, features three adorable notes of peach, sweet almond and lavender.