Earth Mama's Eczema Cream is Different. Here's Why.

If you’re here because you or your baby got a diagnosis of eczema, or atopic dermatitis, we just want to start by saying… ugh. It’s a frustrating diagnosis because it’s so general, with so many factors to consider. Here’s the thing: you’re not alone. Eczema is really, really common. In fact, eczema affects 15-20% of young children, and about 31.6 million Americans have at least one form of eczema, with 70% of cases beginning before age 5.

Ultimately, eczema is about angry, red, itchy skin. And we figured we could help out with that. Because after all, Earth Mama has nearly 20 years of expertise formulating safe, soothing herbal care for pregnant mamas, babies and kids — so it made perfect sense to tackle itchy skin, too.

But we did it differently. Here’s how:

1. THERE’S NO H20. Earth Mama Eczema Cream is anhydrous, or “free of water.” Which means there’s need for an emulsifier or potentially irritating artificial preservatives — like phenoxyethanol, sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate. If you’re dealing with eczema, or contact dermatitis, or bug bites, you want to think logically: what’s going to comfort your skin, and what isn’t? You probably don’t want to rub a potential irritant all over already-angry skin, right? Right. When it comes to using water, the logic is simple: bacteria need oxygen (like the “O” in H2O) to grow, so when balms or creams are formulated without water, no preservative is required.
2. LIKE AN OATMEAL BATH, WITHOUT THE WATER. Raise your hand: ever put your kid in an oatmeal bath to calm their itchy, rashy skin? Yeah, us too. Turns out, the key to making an eczema cream an official, over-the-counter (OTC), FDA-approved product is colloidal oatmeal. When used in an OTC eczema cream, the FDA requires at least 0.1% colloidal oatmeal to make an eczema cream claim. Earth Mama went the extra mile and used a generous 5% colloidal oatmeal, but also sourced ORGANIC colloidal oatmeal. Which is tough to find.
3. USES PLANT POWER INSTEAD OF STEROIDS. Earth Mama’s Eczema Cream is made the way herbalists have been making creams for millennia: infused with organic, mindfully-sourced herbs and oils. Like organic rooibos, and organic black cumin seed extract — both traditionally used to comfort inflamed, itchy skin. Because Earth Mama would help calm skin with straight-from-nature solutions, versus harsh topical steroids.
4. IT’S BY THE BOOKS. Not only does Earth Mama Eczema Cream follow the FDA guidelines, it’s also third-party certified to the NSF/ANSI 305 Organic Standard. Which is pretty rare for eczema cream. Just sayin’. Oregon Tilth did the work for us — because we want you to know that the organic ingredients actually are what we say they are. Look for the certification … it’s right there on the front of the tube.

The result of all this? An over-the-counter tube of moisturizing skin protectant that provides therapeutic itch relief, immediately — and because it’s safe for pregnant women, it’s safe for everyone.