The short version
Dermatology guidance favours fragrance-free products for babies. Of four common lotions I checked in October 2026, only one listed no fragrance; the others list perfume, which many babies tolerate fine. The BEEP trial found daily moisturising does not prevent eczema.
What happened
Every baby lotion in India is pastel, round-cornered and photographed next to a sleeping newborn. I bought three in the first month on the strength of the packaging. Then his cheeks went dry and blotchy in the Bengaluru winter and we ended up at a dermatologist, who asked to see the bottles and read the backs of them with the expression of someone who has done this many times.
"Fragrance," she said, tapping two of them. "For a baby, no fragrance. Not 'mild fragrance'. None." The word on the label might be parfum, fragrance or a pretty name like heliotropin. She explained that fragrance is the most common cause of contact allergy in skincare, and that a baby's skin barrier is still thinner than ours.
So I went home and did the thing I now do with everything: I ignored the front and read the back. Of the four well-known baby lotions in our bathroom cabinet, only one listed no fragrance. The other three, all marketed as gentle, for sensitive skin, listed perfume. That doesn't make them unsafe; many babies use them happily. It just wasn't what I'd been told to look for.
The other thing she said surprised me more. I'd read that moisturising a baby every day from birth prevents eczema. It doesn't. A big UK trial of 1,394 newborns found daily emollient made no difference to eczema at age two. So moisturise when the skin is dry, for comfort, not as insurance. In our humid months he barely needs it; in December he gets a thin layer after the bath.
The cream aisle is a trap because it sells reassurance. The ingredient list sells nothing, which is why it's the only part worth reading.
The American Academy of Dermatology's baby-skin guidance recommends fragrance-free products for baby skin, soap, shampoo and even the laundry detergent. Checking the ingredient lists: Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture lotion lists no parfum or fragrance; Sebamed Baby lotion lists parfum; Cetaphil Baby Daily Lotion (India pack) lists parfum and heliotropin; Bioderma ABCDerm Cold Cream body cream lists fragrance.
AAD, How to care for your baby's skin, hair and nails. Source · Ingredient lists: Cetaphil Baby, Sebamed Baby, Bioderma ABCDerm, Aveeno Baby (checked October 2026; formulations change, so recheck your pack).The BEEP randomised trial of 1,394 high-risk newborns found that daily emollient from birth did not reduce eczema at age two, and the emollient group had slightly more skin infections.
Chalmers JR et al., The Lancet 2020; University of Nottingham trial summary. SourceThe verdicts
Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture lotion
The one of the four that is actually fragrance-free on the label. Oat-based, light, absorbs fast. Our winter cream.
Plain petroleum jelly (any pharmacy brand)
Boring, cheap, fragrance-free, and what the dermatologist uses on dry patches and under the chin. Keep a small tub.
Cubworthy, with a catch
Cetaphil Baby Daily Lotion
Good texture and widely available, but the India pack lists parfum and heliotropin. Fine for many babies; if yours reacts, this could be why.
Cubworthy, with a catch
Sebamed Baby lotion
pH-balanced and much loved, but the ingredient list includes parfum. Same caution: fine until it isn't.
Cubworthy, with a catch
Bioderma ABCDerm
Recommended to me by two mums. The Cold Cream lists fragrance, and I couldn't find it officially sold in India. If you can get the Hydrabébé lotion, check its list first.
Product details are as we used them; the version on sale now may differ. Check the exact model and the manufacturer's instructions.