California Baby Calming Shampoo & Bodywash - 19 oz

I used to LOVE California Baby products, they seemed like a great company and their products contained no parabens, sulfates and other potentially unhealthy chemicals. This product worked well for my children and I was very happy with it. WAS. In the past couple of months, CB has changed, reformulated, their products. Here is a direct quote: 'Due to the volume of comments and questions on our Facebook page, we have been unable to respond individually to each person as we normally do. Instead, we have compiled a response to the most frequently asked questions below. As natural products consumers, you hold the companies you purchase from to the highest of standards, and we applaud you for that. In fact, we were founded by a mom just like you who decided to dig deeper into the products she was using for her children. However, before making any purchase decisions or spreading information to other moms online, we urge you to take the time to look at the available data (we suggest [...]) and decide for yourself what is safe for you and your families. We remain committed to creating the safest, most effective natural products available and are thrilled to have customers as devoted as you are as part of the California Baby family.

A RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR USE OF SODIUM BENZOATE IN WASHES AND BUBBLES: First, we discovered after extensive testing that the preservatives we were previously using (Capryloyl glycine and undecylenoyl glycine) were, over the life of the product, causing the products to separate, thus making them less effective. Although you could simply shake to mix the product, that wasn't up to our quality standards, so we decided to seek a new preservative that would be just as safe but would keep the product consistent over its lifetime.

We then learned that there was new research about sodium benzoate, a preservative that there was previously insufficient information about. Based on the results of these new studies, sodium benzoate has since been certified as allowed for use in organic skin care products by Ecocert, a certifying organization that sets standards for organic cosmetics. It is approved by Whole Foods for use in premium skin care products and is also ranked as a 1 out of 10 (with 0-2 being the lowest hazard level) by the EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. After a thorough analysis of the newest safety data and extensive testing of the final products, we determined that it was a suitable substitute to the previous preservatives in our washes and bubbles. As a bonus, since it is certified as allowed for use in organic skin care, it actually brings us one step closer to organic certification for our final products. There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about sodium benzoate. This is because much of the information that is available online about sodium benzoate is in regards to its use in soda and other beverages, and is not applicable to its use in skin care products.

In addition to sodium benzoate, we also added gluconolactone, which is corn-derived, non-dairy, and is ranked as 0 on the EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.

A RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR CALENDULA CREAM: Due to the issues discussed above with our previous preservatives (capryloyl glycine and undecylenoyl glycine), we made the decision to use new preservatives (caprylhydroxamic acid and glyceryl caprylate) in our creams and lotions. These are naturally derived from coconut, are from the same class as amino acids as the previous preservatives, and have the same properties and functionality. As well, due to an unsteady supply of organic safflower oil that met our specification, we switched to organically-grown canola oil and added it to our Calendula Cream for extra moisturization. It is produced in single-item facilities, which ensures it has no cross-contamination with nuts, another example of our very strict ingredient standards.

Some customers have noticed that our Calendula Cream has a slightly different smell. This is because we recently began extracting calendula in-house, so it is much more concentrated and has a more pronounced herbal scent. Because it is more concentrated, we can use less of it but get the same level of effectiveness as before (this is also why it has moved down on the ingredient list). You can see the difference in the picture on this post.

Some customers have also said they are experiencing irritation from the cream. Since the ingredient changes were very minor and the products went through extensive safety testing before they were released, the irritation is likely being cause by a sensitivity to essential oils. We suggest customers who are experiencing this switch to the Super Sensitive/No Fragrance lotion.

A RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY THE NEW INGREDIENTS WERE NOT IMMEDIATELY POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE: We truly apologize for not posting the new ingredients immediately on our website. We are a small company and were still in the process of aggregating all of the new information and putting together a complete list of all the changes that we could share with you. We are sorry to have let you down by not informing you of these changes in a timely manner. However, it is important to note that all products with updated ingredients are properly labeled as such, so when you purchase our products you can be assured that you have the most accurate information on the label. As of January 19th, the ingredients are also updated on our website. We have also submitted the new ingredient information to EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, and they are in the process of reviewing it before they update their database.'

Many customers had expressed concern over CB products during the last few months, saying they, or their children, had experienced rashes, burning, and hives due to using CB products. CB maintained, up until January 20, 2012, that their product was unchanged and that they (CB) were clueless as to the reason for these reactions to their products. Since coming forward and admitting that their products have indeed been reformulated, CB has removed all questions, complaints and the like from their Facebook page, thus trying to cover up this change and the problems it is causing. It is disappointing, CB used to be a good, honest company. Be aware that their products have changed, and not for the better, in my opinion.

The pictured product is not what you will receive. They changed the product and changed the ingredients to include sodium benzoate.

I bought CB because of its claims for using natural & pure ingredients because my baby has eczema. After a few weeks, we noticed that his eczema was getting worse, especially all over his back. His back felt like sandpaper and we thought it was dermatitis for a while because of the raised skin and scratchy feel. My husband and I treated him with hydrocortisone and ignored it for awhile, thinking it would get better soon. But then I found my little guy trying to scratch his back on different surfaces - when he was on his chair or even when he'd be lying on his back on the floor. We knew something was wrong. My husband suggested we try changing his shampoo back to Aveeno and his eczema went away within a few washes. I think that each baby has different reactions to each product and so I would suggest trying a small sample first to see. I also bought the CB moisturizing cream for my older son and he complained of a stinging feel on his face each time so we had to throw that out as well. Very disappointing for the price!

I love this stuff! It is a regular baby shower gift for my friends who are new moms. The first time I bought it I was a little hesitant because of the price. I soon found out that the bottle lasts forever! I love that it is natural and it really gets my daughter's hair clean (She has always had long hair). I definitely recommend pairing with the conditioner if your child has long hair. The smell is good and I love the easy pump. Thank you California Baby!

My favorite baby shampoo/body soap on the market. Used it for my sensitive skinned children. Great to use in the bath for bubbles and on their hair too. Does not dry out skin like other products, and leaves a light clean scent. Honestly though, I have never found it on here for cheaper than at local stores like Target. So be sure to hunt for better prices, as you could save up to $8 per bottle!

This baby wash is what babies should smell like - fresh, clean, and the faintest hint of lavender. I have used it with all three of my babies, all with sensitive, rash prone skin. It is SO gentle. It produces a decent sud level - not ridiculous, but enough that you can wash little baby hair without needing a ton of soap. It rinses out easily and cleanly, and leaves no lingering strong scent. I don't know whether it helps them calm down or not, but it sure makes me calmer to snuggle up to a clean baby and not get a headache from chemical fragrances, so it's a win either way!

When we travel, I just take along a single bottle of this, and the whole family uses it for body wash and shampoo. It has simplified packing (and getting everyone in and out of the shower at a campsite) SO much to just do that. It is gentle enough for the baby, but strong enough for the serious dirt that my 10 year old accumulates on camping trips!

The one in the picture is not what I received. I was hoping to be able to buy the old formula but I received the one with the new formulation with french lavender! such a disappointment. My daughter's eczema does not take it well. :/ off to find another brand that doesn't irritate my daughter's kin.

A good brand for baby with sensitive skin. However, this variant is a little dry for my little girl. She develops rashes occasionally when using this.

Instead, i got her this
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VARN3O/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002VARN3O&linkCode=as2&tag=hocivfd-20&linkId=PU4RUX2C2FMINOMQ

Cheers,