The Benefits of Zinc Oxide Barrier Cream
What is a barrier cream?
A barrier cream is applied to the skin to prevent irritants reaching the skin, forming a protective layer. Irritants can be anything from environmental influences such as allergens as well as physical irritants like a rubbing, chafing nappy or, a wet nappy. Its application also helps to lock in moisture in the skin and prevent excess water loss.
Barrier creams generally contain a lot of occlusive ingredients (AKA barrier forming) such as:
- Castor seed oil
- Waxes like Rice Bran Wax, Beeswax or Cetearyl Alcohol
- Petrolatum (Vasoline etc.)
- Lanolin (and it's vegan alternative Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacylidipate-2)
- Lecithin
A barrier cream can also contain a number of skin healing ingredients to assist if there is any damage to the skin such as cuts, abrasions, rash or dry/cracked skin. One of these healing ingredients is Zinc Oxide!
Now, what is zinc oxide?
Zinc oxide is a mineral commonly found in natural sunscreens where they help to reflect the sun's UV rays. It's a widely used mineral to help treat a variety of skin conditions such as acne, nappy rash and inflammation. It has a number of benefits that include:
- Sun protection
- Skin healing
- Antimicrobial action to prevent bacterial infection
These benefits (excluding sun protection) are why it is commonly added to barrier creams!
And, what do Barrier Creams and Zinc Oxide have to do with each other?
Zinc Oxide and Barrier Creams are the perfect pair! For delicate areas such as your baby's bum, using a zinc oxide based barrier cream can help treat and prevent nappy rash, not only by forming a protective layer on their skin, but also helping to treat the issue with Zinc Oxides healing and antimicrobial properties. It's not only limited to helping prevent and treat nappy rash, but also for small cuts and abrasions, dribble rash and even chafing in all the squidgy baby arm, leg, neck and tummy rolls!
So, if you're looking for a barrier cream for your babies nappy rash, why not try a zinc oxide based cream like our Bubba's Barrier Cream?!