Sore nipples Which nipple ointment is safe for mother and child? Ökotest reveals it
It is not uncommon for breastfeeding mothers to suffer from sore nipples in the short or long term
© Andrey Zhuravlev / Getty Images
When a mother breastfeeds her child, her nipples may become sore and painful. The symptoms often go away on their own, but if this doesn’t happen, a nipple ointment should help. But which one is recommended? Ökotest took a closer look at 16 products.
The good news is: None of the 16 nipple ointments tested were rated poorly – only one product scored “satisfactorily”. Six ointments even received the top rating of “very good” (including certified natural cosmetics), the remaining nine were rated “good”. The main ingredient in almost half of all nipple ointments is wool wax, also known as lanolin, while the remaining ointments used beeswax or glycerin, among other things. Below we will introduce you to some of the test winners and explain how Ökotest examined and evaluated the products.
Nipple ointments tested: 4 winners
Lansinoh Organic (certified natural cosmetics)
Lansinoh Bio nipple ointment contains sunflower, olive and coconut oils, beeswax, shea butter, calendula and argan oil. The product is fragrance-free and suitable for sensitive nipples.
Baby-Frank
The Baby-Frank nipple ointment contains wool wax, sunflower oil and tocopherol. All ingredients are harmless to health. This makes the product also suitable for caring for sensitive nipples.
Babylove Mama
The Babylove Mamazeit nipple ointment also uses lanolin, sunflower and coconut oil. Fragrances and perfume as well as alcohol, preservatives, parabens and paraffins/mineral oils are not used here.
Burt’s Bees Mama
As in every Burt’s Bees product, the Mama nipple ointment also contains nourishing beeswax as well as sunflower and coconut oil. According to the manufacturer, all ingredients are 100 percent natural.
Another care tip: To soothe irritated skin, it can be helpful to spread some breast milk on the sore nipples. It has healing properties.
Ökotest: Only one product is “satisfactory”
A pharmacy product was classified as “satisfactory” due to the PEG compounds it contains: Garmastan breastfeeding care. Ökotest sees synthetically produced polyethylene glycols as critical.
Note: You can view the full test with all results here.
This is how the nipple ointments were rated
The 16 nipple ointments tested came from drugstores, online shops and pharmacies. They all contain neither perfume nor essential oils. The ingredients were examined to find out which products contained polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalates. If water was also an ingredient, Ökotest also had the ointments analyzed for formaldehyde releasers. As far as packaging is concerned, those products that contain plastic were examined more closely: they were tested for PVC/PVDC/chlorinated compounds. Controversial ingredients such as PEG/PEG derivatives were also sought. The result is all the more pleasing that 15 of the 16 nipple ointments tested were classified as “very good” or “good”. Only one product performed slightly worse, but still received a “satisfactory” grade. You can find a list in the next section.
Source: Ökotest
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