Review :: Dentinox Cradle Cap Baby Shampoo

Trying to avoid picking at your baby’s crusty cradle cap? In search of a gentle solution for never-ending scaly patches which seem to be spreading? Is olive oil/almond oil/Vaseline just not working and to put it plainly – too much mess for benefit? Then a cradle cap shampoo like the one we’re putting through DD testing today could be just what you’re looking for.

A gentle 8 ingredient cradle cap treatment shampoo made by Dentinox – safe for use from birth with 2 active ingredients aimed at preventing the suspected cause of your baby’s crusty scalp – we’ll explain all soon.

However first, who are Dentinox? Are Dentinox a trustworthy company? Do they specialize in the care of your baby?

Visit the Dentinox website and you’ll find a selection of 4 products all aimed at the most common ailments your baby may experience – cradle cap, teething, colic and sticky eye. However what you won’t discover is a handy About Us page telling you of Dentinox’s company history. Instead, if you dig deeper you’ll discover Dentinox is a brand owned by parent company Dendron.

Founded in 1912 and based in the UK, Dendron are a company expert in helping health and beauty brands grow, they’re family owned and pride themselves on integrity, respect and social responsibility. Among their brands, you’ll also find – Snufflebabe (purchased by Dendron in 2010), Blistex, Freederm and Astral.

Dendron and Dentinox check-out. Now what about the arriving bottle of Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo? What should you expect?

After ordering a 125ml bottle of Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo you’ll receive a very safely packaged, tamper-resistant box wrapped in cellophane. Everything about the Dentinox branding says well-made, safe, gentle and trustworthy.

The cellophane is easy to remove, the box easy to open and the inside contained bottle easy to grab and flip open. Inside your box of Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo you’ll also find an A6 sized information leaflet – don’t worry, it’s quick and easy to read, going over how to use, possible side effects and further information.

Now what about use? What’s normal to expect when using Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo on your baby’s delicate scalp? Should you rub until you get a lather?

Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo is a clear, rather runny liquid. Taking a 2 to 3ml dose as recommended by Dentinox (about half a teaspoon) and applying to your baby’s scalp when damp you’ll enjoy a delicate scent of rose and a very gentle foaming action making teeny-tiny bubbles. This helps spread Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo around your baby’s scalp.

NOTE: Adult shampoos foam and bubble a lot – although foaming doesn’t equal efficacy, it does help to spread a shampoo around your hair and scalp. Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo uses very gentle cleansers which have a much smaller foaming action. This is normal. You should expect tenny-tiny bubbles and foam only.

Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo massages in easily and washes out well. Key tip – Dentinox also recommend repeating for a second time – a great option if your baby’s scalp has a particularly moderate case of cradle cap.

Now, the extremely important bit: Does Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo work? Are there ingredients in the bottle proven effective against cradle cap?

The 2 ingredients Dentinox claim as active in their Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo formula go by the scientific names of;

1. Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfo-Succinate
2. Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (SLES)

Now rather than actives you’ll find in dandruff shampoo formulas aimed at being anti-fungal i.e. Nizoral instead Dentinox use 2 very mild surfactants aka cleansing ingredients.

Surfactants are fantastic at removing excess grease from skin and it’s this grease aka sebum which is thought to be the triggering cause of cradle cap. During your baby’s development, the sebum glands/hair follicles found on your baby’s scalp can become temporarily over-activated making too much oil. As your baby’s scalp oil increases, yeasts which naturally live on the skin (namely the Malassezia yeast) feast on your baby’s scalp oils releasing irritating unsaturated oils in the process.  Cradle Cap is seb derm, for babies.

The 2 actives used in Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo help remove excess oil from your baby’s scalp, therefore, removing the Malassezia yeast’s food source. You’ll need to keep using Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo for as long as your baby’s scalp makes excess oil.

There’s also a clinical trial to prove Dentinox works – although it sounds small at 26 patients, for a consumer product/first testing the sample size is average.

Carried out by Huntingdon Research Centre, you can find a quick summary of their results below;

• Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo is effective in 25/26 patients treated
• A 1% cetavlon placebo control is effective in only 6/19 treated

Significant results going above and beyond the testing performed on most seb derm shampoos.

Now what about the accompanying ingredients? Are there any others you should be worried about?

With just 8 ingredients Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo is an extremely simple formula. The only other ingredients you’ll find are used to either;

• Help cleanse
• Give a pleasant scent
• Adjust the pH level

While there are no extra cradle cap helpers there’s also – almost – no extra contact dermatitis causing extras. The shampoo does contain SLES. Not the harshest sulfate, but it’s not sulfate free. And Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo does contain rose fragrance. However as added fragrances go, the rose fragrance Dentinox are using does not contain EU declarable allergens.

Overall we declare Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo a perfectly mild everyday use formula with significant proof for helping clear your baby’s cradle cap.

Dentinox Cradle Cap Treatment Shampoo is on sale now