Chantecaille’s New Organic Baby Product Line is Here, and It’s Worth Drooling Over

We go through a lot of beauty products in my house. Baby beauty products, that is. With two toddler girls—Chloe, 5, and Jemma, 3—I have a lot of needs to look after: the bathroom is fully stocked with no-tears shampoo, detangling and frizz-fighting conditioner, foaming bubble bath (for “fancy” days), various skin creams and more bows and hair ties and than I know what to do with. My philosophy behind this curated assortment is simple: Buy what works. Anything that’s not high performance or easy to apply to squirmy kids doesn’t make the cut.

So when I heard Chantecaille was launching an organic baby product line of luxury-minded bath and body-care essentials, I was intrigued. But skeptical. As a beauty writer, this isn’t my first rodeo: I have sampled a lot of bébé lines out there and haven’t found any revolutionary enough to replace the tried-and-true basics found at the drugstore. Would this line be any different, I thought?

Well, hold the ointment: It is. And here’s why: This collection isn’t conceived like a typical little kids’ line. Instead, it’s a new hybrid—combining all the prescriptive benefits of adult skincare with the soothing, gentle touch of a baby product. Pop open the tubes, and you can immediately tell that a real mother, not a marketing team, developed the collection that includes a cleansing hair and body wash, hydrating face cream, calming body lotion and soon-to-be-released body oil.

That mother is Olivia Chantecaille, the New York-born, French-bred creative director of the skin and makeup brand that bears her last name. Three years ago she gave birth to her daughter, Delphina, and like all moms, was panic stricken about applying something to her delicate skin that might cause some sort of rogue irritation (those mysterious rashes come out of nowhere, trust me). She also realized that very few baby lines met the same high-quality skincare standards as the Chantecaille ones in her bathroom.

Well, two years later, Chantecaille Bébé line was born. The entire range is comprised of organic, plant-based botanicals, but wild moss rose is the star ingredient—prized for its anti-inflammatory, hydrating and protective qualities. (It’s also the “little sister” to the rose de mai used in Chantecaille’s grown-up products. Cue the awws).

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A few more baby products you might want to steal for yourself:

1. The Heme Baby Q Transparent Puff Is the Cutest New Beauty Tool
2. The Best Natural Baby Products That Adults Can Use, Too
3. The 6 Beauty Products We Borrow (OK, Steal) From Our Kids

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After unscientific testing with my girls, here’s how these products stack up IMO: The Flower Petal Hair & Body Wash is spiked with chamomile and really got rid of built-up chlorine after an indoor swim lesson (just to be safe, though, I would follow with conditioner) and left my girls’ hair ridiculously soft and shiny—even Jemma’s, who’s hair is a little frizzy and coarse. I rubbed the Wild Moss Rose Body Lotion at night, when Chloe was complaining of itchy skin (she’s prone to eczema, especially in winter). Normally she runs in the other direction when I come at her with thick cream, hating the sticky sensation. Not this time: I didn’t even use the fancy recommended application technique (“upward strokes, toward the heart”) and she held still, breathing in the floral scent while the cream melted into her skin quickly. No residue! I especially appreciated the Orange Blossom Face Cream as a product that typically doesn’t exist for kids. Normally you get a body cream that’s meant to double as a face cream, but would you want to spread a thick balm all over your complexion? This one is lightweight but super hydrating and worked amazingly well to calm the little bumps Jemma always has around her mouth and chin. There’s also an Apricot and Tamanu Body Oil coming out this spring that sounds heavenly, but to be honest, my kids won’t stand in one place long enough for me to massage oils onto their bodies—after bath time, they’re usually running through the house like wild animals. (If you have calmer tykes, can I borrow them for testing? I also hear you can pour the oil into the bath as an alternative.)

And let’s talk about the scents: All four products contain a blend of moisturizing essential oils, the most noticeably of which is orange blossom. This is a welcome departure from the standard baby-powder aroma but be warned: the fragrance will linger on your hands for a few hours. So you have to really like orange blossom. My kids also enjoyed trying to pronounce the exotic ingredients in the tubes (after a few tries at “wild moss rose,” Jemma just calls it “yum.”)

The only drawback: The ultra-expensive prices, which range from $48 for the face cream to $55 for the body lotion. That’s a lot to afford, in addition to all the other kid expenses (clothes! college!). But the prices seem aligned with the purity of the ingredients, all of which meet COSMOS standards for being ultra-safe and organic. But here’s a cost-effective solution: The products work just as well on adult skin, too. So you could streamline that bathroom shelf and truly share these essentials—without feeling like baby or mom (or dad) is missing out on pampering. In other words: Orange blossom face cream for everyone!

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Find out what product Ciara loves for her and her baby: