Beaming Baby

Beaming Baby is a British baby-care company specialising in eco-conscious nappies, wipes and organic skincare. The business dates back to 1999 and is based near Totnes in Devon, making it one of the longer-established UK brands in this space. The company describes itself as the UK’s first eco-friendly baby brand and says its original aim was to reduce babies’ exposure to unnecessary chemicals while reducing the environmental impact of everyday disposable baby products.

What makes Beaming Baby interesting to me is that it sits somewhere between conventional disposable baby products and the much more demanding world of reusable nappies and completely zero-waste living. Its approach isn’t to claim that disposable nappies suddenly become environmentally harmless, but to replace some of the conventional materials with bamboo, plant-derived materials and more biodegradable components. The company currently says its eco nappies are more than 50% biodegradable and its wipes are made from plant-based fibres. But 50% biodegradable means it’s also 50% NOT biodegradable!

The skincare side of the business has a stronger organic proposition. Beaming Baby says its organic baby-care range is certified through the non-food division of the Organic Food Federation, with production sites, raw materials and production processes subject to inspection. The range is also approved by the Vegan Society.

Beaming Baby is not a brand where every item can simply be described as “organic”. Some products contain certified-organic ingredients or materials, some have environmental advantages over conventional alternatives and some claims are the company’s own environmental or health claims. I would rather look at each of those separately than treat the word organic as a blanket endorsement.

Beaming Baby’s core range covers disposable bamboo nappies, biodegradable baby wipes, nappy sacks and organic baby skincare, including nappy cream and bath and body products.

The Organic Bamboo Nappies use what the company describes as an absorbent core made from finely shredded organic bamboo, together with bamboo panels around the waist and legs. Beaming Baby says the nappies are totally chlorine-free and contain up to 56% less chemical content than conventional nappies. It also describes its packaging as paper and recyclable bio-film. These are Beaming Baby’s own product claims rather than figures I have independently verified.

Its Organic Bamboo Wipes are made from 100% bamboo cloth rather than plastic-based wipe material. The wipes contain certified-organic aloe vera and orange blossom and are described by the company as chlorine-free and free from parabens, alcohol and detergents.

The skincare range includes products such as Organic Nappy Cream. This is a useful example of why I prefer looking beyond the word “organic”. Beaming Baby says more than 80% of the ingredients in the cream are certified organic. The full formula also includes ingredients such as glycerin, beeswax, jojoba oil, aloe vera, benzyl alcohol, potassium sorbate and several essential oils.

So this isn’t simply a range of completely unprocessed plant ingredients. It is formulated skincare using natural and organic ingredients alongside ingredients needed to preserve and stabilise the product.

There is quite a lot I like about Beaming Baby once I look beyond the marketing language.

First, it has been working in the eco-baby market since 1999, long before “clean”, “natural” and “eco” became standard marketing language. The company is still a relatively small British business rather than one of the enormous multinational manufacturers dominating the disposable nappy market.

I particularly like the attempt to improve products that are difficult to make environmentally friendly. Disposable nappies are inherently challenging because they’re designed to absorb and retain liquid and then be thrown away. Beaming Baby doesn’t solve that problem completely, but using bamboo and increasing the biodegradable proportion is a meaningful improvement over simply ignoring it. The company currently says its eco nappies are more than 50% biodegradable.

The wipes are another strong point. Moving away from plastic-containing wipe material towards 100% bamboo cloth addresses one of my main concerns with conventional disposable wipes.

I also like the level of ingredient disclosure on products such as the nappy cream. Rather than simply telling consumers that something is “natural”, Beaming Baby publishes the ingredient list, which allows us to make our own judgement. The nappy cream contains olive oil, jojoba oil, aloe vera, beeswax and plant extracts alongside its emulsifiers and preservation system.

Finally, there is actual third-party certification behind parts of the range. The Organic Food Federation certification of the baby-care range is more meaningful to me than a manufacturer simply putting the word organic on its packaging.

My first reservation is marketing language. Beaming Baby sometimes moves from reasonable environmental claims into much stronger health claims. Its current website describes products as “non-toxic”, talks about giving babies the “healthiest possible start” and says its nappies are designed to help prevent nappy rash. Its bamboo nappy page also claims up to 56% less chemical content than standard nappies. I would like considerably more supporting information before treating claims like these as established facts rather than manufacturer claims.

“Chemical-free” language is particularly unhelpful because everything is made of chemicals, including bamboo, water and aloe vera, even though I do understand what they mean by that. What matters is which substances are present, at what concentrations and what evidence exists about them. I would prefer Beaming Baby to lead with its genuinely interesting material and ingredient choices rather than broad claims about “toxins” and chemicals.

Organic also needs qualification. For example, the nappy cream is described as containing more than 80% certified-organic ingredients, but it still contains preservatives and fragrance components including benzyl alcohol, potassium sorbate, limonene, citral and geraniol. That doesn’t automatically make these ingredients harmful, but parents specifically avoiding fragrance allergens or essential oils should know that “organic” doesn’t mean the formulation contains nothing except organic plants.

I’m also cautious about the environmental language around biodegradability. Beaming Baby itself says its eco nappies are over 50% biodegradable, which means a significant proportion isn’t. And a material being technically biodegradable doesn’t necessarily mean a disposable nappy placed into normal UK household waste will conveniently biodegrade.

At the time of this review, Beaming Baby has a Trustpilot score of 2.4/5 from 199 reviews. The overall history is mixed, with many longstanding positive reviews, but several recent reviews complain about delayed orders, difficulty contacting customer service and confusing voucher or sample-pack promotions. Other reviewers continue to report very positive experiences with the products themselves. Reviews are individual experiences rather than controlled product testing, but the recent pattern is substantial enough that I think prospective customers should know about it.

I particularly dislike promotions that consumers perceive as “free” gifts or substantial vouchers but which ultimately require further spending. Beaming Baby’s current £1.99 sample pack itself clearly states that it contains two nappies, three nappy bags and a £20 voucher, but numerous recent reviewers describe confusion or disappointment around promotional material and voucher offers. Greater transparency here would improve my confidence in the brand.

The Beaming Baby organic baby-care range is certified by the non-food division of the Organic Food Federation, according to the company. Beaming Baby says certification involves inspection of production sites and consideration of raw materials, waste, production practices and disposal.

The company also states that this range is approved by the Vegan Society. This shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that every Beaming Baby product or every component of every product is certified organic. Certification and organic percentages should be checked at individual-product level.

For example, Beaming Baby states that its Organic Nappy Cream contains more than 80% certified-organic ingredients, while its bamboo nappies use what the company describes as an organic bamboo core. I treat certification as an important positive, but not as a substitute for looking at individual ingredients and materials.

Beaming Baby remains an Approved Brand for me, but with a few minor qualifications.

I like the underlying philosophy considerably more than some of the marketing. This is a British company that has been trying to make everyday baby essentials with more thoughtful materials since 1999, well before eco baby products became mainstream. The use of bamboo, plant-based wipe material, certified-organic ingredients and independently certified skincare gives the brand substance beyond simply putting “natural” on the packaging.

At the same time, I don’t think “organic”, “natural”, “biodegradable” or “non-toxic” should ever stop us asking questions. The nappies aren’t completely biodegradable. Organic skincare can still contain preservatives, essential oils and fragrance allergens. Some of the stronger health and chemical claims on the website go beyond what I would personally be comfortable repeating as established fact. And the recent customer-service and promotional complaints are significant enough that I wouldn’t omit them from my independent review.

My verdict is therefore positive about the products and philosophy, but more cautious about some of the claims and current customer experience. Beaming Baby offers genuinely interesting alternatives for parents who want to reduce plastic, choose more plant-based materials and introduce more organic products into everyday baby care. I would simply recommend judging each product individually rather than assuming the word “organic” tells us everything we need to know.