Formulating for unique needs of baby skin

Although baby skin appears to be fully developed at birth, it undergoes rapid change in structure and function throughout the first year of life.1 Skin maturation can be considered to occur along a continuum: skin continues to change throughout life, from birth to childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and into old age. Given the dynamic nature of skin, it is important to understand skin physiology through all stages of life, knowledge of which may help formulators create personal care products that are optimised for a particular age group. The focus of this article is to review new insights into the differences between baby and adult skin and to discuss the importance of customising personal care products, including cleansers and moisturisers, that meet the unique needs of babies and their skin.

 Our skin serves as a protective barrier to the external environment; it also provides important sensory information. Skin enables the body to regulate heat, exchange critical gases such as oxygen, and maintain adequate hydration. In neonates, thermoregulation is especially critical: preterm infants have a very high incidence of hypothermia, which may be due in part to difficulties transferring heat through skin.2 Two primary layers constitute the skin: the epidermis and dermis. The epidermis, the outermost layer, is characterised by stratified squamous epithelial cells (Fig. 1). The stratum corneum, which is comprised of corneocytes and intracellular lipids, forms a matrix that serves as the first layer of defence between the body and the external environment. The dermis, subdivided into the papillary and reticular dermis, is sandwiched between the epidermis and subcutaneous adipose tissue (fat) and consists of an extracellular matrix of fibroblasts. The papillary dermis contains loosely arranged collagen fibres, while the reticular dermis contains a more densely packed arrangement of collagen and elastin fibres.

Baby skin versus adult skin