Motherlove Baby & All Soap – Refreshing Ginger Grapefruit

Important note on kid-friendly soaps and body washes

When I’m choosing soap for kids (and honestly for the whole family), I prioritize formulas that clean well without relying on harsh detergents or mystery scent blends. With soaps and body washes, the biggest issue I see is that “fragrance” can be used as a catch-all label, which makes it hard to know what you’re actually putting on skin day after day. I prefer products that keep the ingredient list clear and keep the cleansing system simple.

What I avoid in soaps and body washes

In this category, I avoid undisclosed fragrance blends or vague “fragrance/parfum” labeling, harsh surfactants like SLS and SLES, ethoxylated ingredients (PEGs and “-eth” ingredients), parabens, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, antibacterial additives, preservatives like methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone (MIT/MCI), and petroleum-derived ingredients I don’t use in my low-tox swaps, including dimethicone and propylene glycol. I also keep an eye out for fragrance-related plasticizers that may sometimes be listed individually on labels, such as diethyl phthalate (DEP) or dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which is one reason I prefer products that clearly disclose how they’re scented.

Product description

Motherlove Baby & All Soap is a foaming castile-style soap made with a simple base of organic plant oils and aloe, plus a blend of grapefruit and ginger oils for a fresh, clean scent. It’s meant to be an all-purpose option you can use as hand soap, bath and body soap, and even for quick cleanups beyond bath time, which makes it an easy “one product, many uses” option.

This one meets my standards because it’s transparent about what creates the scent, and it avoids the detergent-style ingredients I try to stay away from for everyday family use.

Ingredients

Distilled water, coconut oil*, olive fruit oil*, sunflower seed oil*, potassium hydroxide†, aloe leaf juice*, blend of grapefruit and ginger oils, citric acid, shea butter*, rosemary flower extract*.

*Organic
†Used for saponification (turned into soap during the soap-making process)

Certifications

• Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth (brand stated)
• Leaping Bunny Certified (brand stated)

What I like

I like that it’s a simple, soap-based formula with clearly listed ingredients, a straightforward scent from grapefruit and ginger oils, and no harsh detergent-style surfactants.

Things to keep in mind

Castile-style soaps are not tear-free, so I avoid using this right near the eyes.

Even when a product uses essential oils instead of “fragrance,” sensitivities can still happen. Citrus and ginger oils can be a little more noticeable for some skin types, and rosemary extract can also be a sensitivity trigger for a small number of people, so I find it helpful to patch test if your child is very reactive.

If you’re shopping for a newborn, the brand recommends choosing their unscented option for the earliest months.