Manufacturer contact: Johnson & Johnson GmbH, D-41470 Neuss

Penaten is the first baby cream and was named after the deities of Roman antiquity - that's no coincidence. The "Penaten cream" was the first cream to protect sensitive baby skin.

Over the course of its more than 110-year history, Penaten has set itself   the task of developing innovative products for babies and mums. In addition to the special skin compatibility, the focus of research today is on points such as the well-being and sleeping behavior of babies. Penaten : protection, care and security for your baby.

Philosophy
The highest goal of Penaten is to ensure a particularly good skin compatibility. The development of the Penaten products is always based on state-of-the-art research and science as well as the experience and requirements of specialist users (doctors, pediatric nurses and midwives). The scientific Penaten Advisory Board has an important advisory function. As the brand of the world's largest manufacturer of baby care products, Johnson & Johnson, we also carry responsibilities that we, like no other company, are underpinning with new scientific studies on baby skin and skin care.

The Penaten products are made exclusively from selected ingredients and are subject to strict purity controls. Quality controls during production are comparable to those in the pharmaceutical sector.

Product development according to guidelines

Each ingredient undergoes a toxicological evaluation and each product goes through extensive testing before it enters the marketplace. This applies to new products, but also to products that are already on the market - for example, if the composition is optimized on the basis of legal requirements, consumer wishes or new insights. 

For example, in recent decades, Penaten has removed many perfumes from its products after the potential allergy hazard of these substances has become known. Even parabens, which are considered to be extremely safe preservatives, have been replaced. The reason for this was the public concern of consumers. 

What stages a product goes through before it goes on the market :

1. The development of a high quality product begins with the careful selection of raw materials. 
   It is checked if the product meets all requirements of the local and European authorities.
2. Afterwards the experts in research and development will test various prototypes for their effects and stability. 
3. Consumers are asked if the prototype meets all their requirements.
4. Only when a product passes all tests and meets all requirements, it comes to the market.

Collaborating with physicians, midwives and caregivers
Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of Penaten, is researching the development of baby care products worldwide. In order to always incorporate current findings from science and practice, the company also maintains close contact with medical-scientific, external experts such as pediatricians, dermatologists, midwives and pediatric nurses. These four professions are represented in Germany in a scientific advisory board, which advises Penaten on the preparation of scientific material. 

Maximum Safety, Tolerability & Efficacy Studies
As the world's largest manufacturer of baby care products, we have the responsibility to put scientific research behind the development and marketing of products. No company in the world has done so many baby skin care studies as Johnson & Johnson. We have made numerous studies in this area possible.

In Germany, we conducted studies with the support of penates at publicly independent institutes. The most intensive research on these topics: differences between baby and adult skin, development of baby skin, effect of cleaning products and oils on the skin barrier. We also conduct sleep behavior studies on the use of baby products and on the influence of massage and touch. 

The study results are usually  submitted to  internationally recognized journals . 
The journals then appoint independent and external scientists to test the article for scientific standards. Only after passing the exam will the articles be published (usually in English).

In our research, it is always important to us that the conduct of the studies and the analysis of the data   takes place objectively and uninfluenced . The study results will be published independently of the result. The reputable research partners we work with value the same. This ensures objective and scientifically recognized research.

How to conduct a scientific study with babies and children
What condition must be fulfilled: Before starting, an ethics committee will examine the planned study. 

Only when it gives the green light, the study can begin. 
Who participates :  Only with the consent of parents children can participate in the study. You also need to have healthy skin. The search for the small participants is sometimes time-consuming and logistically very complex, because the age and health status of the children, the period, the duration and the complexity of the study can limit the choice of children. 

How to work :  For objective data acquisition, it is very important to work under standardized conditions. For this, as many influencing factors as possible have to be excluded or specified in all study participants so as not to disturb the actual measurements. Some possible examples are: All competitors must use the same diaper brand. In the last 12 hours, participants must not have applied lotion or cream. The measurements should take place in air-conditioned rooms where temperature and humidity can be specified. The children must first acclimatise for half an hour before measurements are taken. 

What is measured : The most common values ​​measured in skin examinations are:

• Water loss of the skin, pH, skin moisture of the skin surface 
• Lipid content (a type of fat content) of the skin surface 

What is measured :  With sensors that are placed on the skin and can not hurt them. Parents also need to keep a journal of extraordinary events or observations, such as when the child has a cold. These details are important to understand unusual results when evaluating the measurement data - for example, when a child's facial skin suddenly deteriorates massively due to a cold.

How to evaluate :  For the objective analysis of the data, a statistician is consulted. If possible, the statistician only gets the data of the various groups, but he does not know which group was treated as. For example, he only gets data labeled "Group A" and "Group B", but he does not know with which care product which group was treated. This prevents the statistician from unconsciously influencing the data analysis because he thinks, for example, that one care product is better than the other.

Where the results will be published :  At the end of each study, the results will be submitted in an international scientific journal. The publisher then appoints independent experts - the authors of the study do not know who it is. These experts review the study report and may require corrections or other data from the authors. It can also happen that a manuscript is rejected by a journal. It often takes a whole year from the first submission in the journal to final publication in print.

How long it takes to complete a study :  the entire period from conception to study, to implementation, to publication can be three years or more.