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Science Behind Our Baby Products

We pioneer the science in understanding babies — and our discoveries are often surprising.

One of the first incredible discoveries a new mother makes is just how delicate her newborn's eyes, skin and hair are — and never more so than in the first days, months and years of life.

To help parents and healthcare providers give the best care, the JOHNSON’S® Brand is committed to finding out all there is to know about babies. In fact, we conduct fundamental research to further the understanding of the unique and special needs of baby's eyes, skin, and hair. And our hundreds of scientists worldwide use this knowledge to help us create products that are safe, gentle and mild.

Read on to find out some of the remarkable things we've learned about your little one.

There are no words to describe the feeling every mom has when she first gazes into her newborn's eyes. And certainly moms want to do everything they can to protect those precious eyes and keep them from filling with tears.

Sight is one of the last of your baby's senses to fully develop. In fact, your baby's eyesight continues to develop throughout the first year of life. For example, during the first four months of life, your newborn's eyes can only focus at a short distance (about 8 to 12 inches) — the distance between your face and your baby's when you're cradling or feeding. Your baby's tear ducts complete development just after birth and although tearing may be present at birth, the tearing function continues to develop throughout the first four weeks of life.

Knowing exactly how a baby's eyes develop — and how to protect them during this critical time — has been the focus of JOHNSON’S® Brand researchers for years.

We've learned that your baby doesn't blink very much - only 2 to 5 times per minute. And a blink reflex that is still developing means that baby may not be as able to protect her eyes from irritants or accidental splashes.

You can read here how our unique knowledge of baby's developing eyes led to the creation of our famous NO MORE TEARS® formula.

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You only have to touch a baby's amazingly soft skin to know how delicate and fragile it is.

Skin acts as a protective barrier, the first line of defense against outside organisms, toxins, irritants and allergens. Baby's skin, which is thinner and continues to develop through the first year of life, is more vulnerable to irritants. That’s why it needs the right care to protect it from irritants and a harsh environment. Determining what makes your baby's delicate skin unique and how best to protect it has been the focus of years of JOHNSON'S® baby research. To this day, we continue to study baby's skin of all types, using non-invasive measurement techniques and clinical assessments by dermatologists and pediatricians. Our JOHNSON’S® Brand science teams have become quite expert at making babies and their mothers feel safe and comfortable as we conduct our assessments.

Did you know that skin needs appropriate hydration to remain healthy and skin that is too dry can lead to skin barrier disruption and even infection? Interestingly, in a research study where 90 percent of the mothers surveyed thought their baby's skin was not dry, 60 percent of their babies actually had clinically visible dry skin. Thanks to our research, we know that although your baby's skin is naturally more hydrated than your own during the first 12 months of life, it can surprisingly lose water more quickly. And as your baby matures and becomes more active, chances are you will wash her face and hands more, which may also lead to skin dryness. So it's essential to use appropriate mild and gentle baby products that don't dry your baby's skin, help maintain her skin's natural moisture balance and that help protect against skin breakdown.

Keeping babies clean, through good skin hygiene, is essential to your baby's overall good health and wellness. Proper cleansing helps keep the skin free of unwanted substances, including dirt, transient germs, and irritants such as those from saliva, nasal secretions, urine, and feces (including fecal enzymes). Maintaining a clean diaper area helps prevent skin breakdown, diaper rash and infection. And keeping hands clean, particularly in the case of babies and their hand-mouth behaviors, can help reduce or prevent oral transmission of microbial contaminants. Special attention should also be paid to the facial area, where vulnerable skin can be easily irritated by milk, food and saliva. Similarly, skin folds and creases should be kept clean.

You can read here how these discoveries led to the creation of our CLINICALLY PROVEN MILDNESS™ formula.

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Moms around the world share a similar challenge: how to make baby sleep. Studies indicate that 20-30 percent of babies experience sleep problems, including falling asleep and sleeping through the night. Most parents (in one report 76 percent) indicate a desire to change some aspect of their baby’s sleep. Recognizing this, the JOHNSON’S® Brand wanted to come up with a safe and helpful solution for moms.

We started by engaging our own scientists and external experts, including Dr. Jodi Mindell (Saint Joseph's University and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia), an internationally known, leading pediatric sleep expert. The result was the development of a clinically proven, 4-step before-bed routine, with specially developed products, that was shown to help babies and toddlers sleep.

Learn the steps by watching this musical demo

The routine starts with a relaxing massage using JOHNSON'S® baby BEDTIME® oil . This is followed up with a warm, soothing bath using JOHNSON'S® baby BEDTIME® bath. The bath helps separate "busy time" and "time for bed," while giving mother and baby a chance to bond. From there, moms soften and smoothen baby’s skin by applying JOHNSON'S® baby BEDTIME® lotion and JOHNSON'S® baby BEDTIME® powder one after the other. Each JOHNSON'S® baby BEDTIME® product releases NATURALCALM™ essences to help baby relax and sleep better. The final step is for mom and baby to enjoy age appropriate, calming activities together, like singing lullabies, reading, or talking about the day. These activities can help baby wind down before "lights out" signals "time for sleep."

Clinical trials have shown that the 4-step before-bed routine using JOHNSON'S® baby BEDTIME® bath and BEDTIME® lotion helps babies fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and reduce awakenings during the night. Moms who tried the routine for their baby also saw benefits for their own mood, including feeling less tense and less tired.

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Moms around the world trust JOHNSON’S® to care for their babies

We are committed to working with moms, healthcare experts and scientists to ensure our products continue achieving the highest JOHNSON’S® baby standards.

Learn how we're making JOHNSON’S® products even better for your baby >