"My Son Suffered Severe Skin Reactions for Months After Using 'Baby-Friendly' Fairy Detergent"

EMMA Malone washed all her two-month-old’s clothes and sheets in Fairy’s non-bio washing detergent, reassured by the promise that it was ‘baby-friendly’.

So when her son Theodore developed a painful rash that left him “wanting to rip his face and head off”, she dismissed it as eczema.

Emma Malone’s son, Theodore, started developing a painful rash across his cheekCredit: SWNS Emma and her partner were at their wits’ end trying to work out the cause of Theodore’s upset skinCredit: SWNS

But after countless doctors’ appointments, creams, and antibiotics, she was in despair as nothing was working to soothe Theodore’s angry skin.

The retail assistant from Halifax said: “It was like something was burning him, he was shaking his head and body.”

She first noticed that something wasn’t right when his eyes watered “non-stop” when he was just a few days old.

Then this escalated into a red rash on his face, which Emma thought looked similar to eczema.

Emma, 31, said: “He wasn’t sleeping properly, he was constantly irritated and crying, he was basically ripping his face and head off because he was that irritated, it was horrible.”

Before Theodore was born in September 2025, Emma specifically purchased Fairy non-bio washing detergent, as it has been voted the best for sensitive skin, and is recommended by many mothers, for babies.

Theodore’s rash became so severe that it became infected, which only intensified the pain and left him scratching at his skin all night.

Doctors also told Emma that it was likely to be impetigo, a contagious skin infection, which causes blisters and sores, and gave him a week’s worth of antibiotics.

When the treatment didn’t work, Emma called the doctors again and was given a week’s worth of a mild steroid cream.

The cream did begin to work, but the rash came back worse after the treatment stopped, so Emma contacted the doctors again, and was told that Theodore could have been having an allergic reaction.

He wasn’t sleeping properly, he was constantly irritated and crying, he was basically ripping his face and head off because he was that irritated, it was horrible.

Emma Malone

“He said it could be something that I was eating, as I’m breastfeeding, or a lotion I’m putting on him”, she said.

The doctor asked Emma what detergent she was using, but when she said Fairy non-bio detergent, he assured her this likely wasn’t the cause, as it’s safe for babies.

Emma left the doctors feeling increasingly worried, as she didn’t put anything on Theo’s skin except Oilatum, which is good for eczema prone skin.

“I wasn’t sure whether I should stop breastfeeding, I was going out of my mind,” she said.

A week later, Emma returned to the doctors, as Theodores’ condition had worsened, but was told the rash couldn’t be an allergic reaction, as it wasn’t all over his body.

She was given more antibiotics, but still the rash wouldn’t go away, so she kept going back, again and again.

In total, Emma visited the doctors seven times, and with each visit, began to lose trust in the doctors’ opinions.

In January 2025, she was sat on her bed with Theodore in her arms and noticed that he seemed calm and relaxed.

She placed Theo in his cot, and noticed that straight away, his skin became irritated.

Emma picked her son up, and saw that his head was red and inflamed at the back.

BURNING PAIN

She took a cloth, and wiped down his skin, noticing that he immediately stopped being irritated.

“I said to my boyfriend, it’s the detergent, it must be,” she said.

Emma immediately switched to Ecover non-bio detergent and noticed that within days, Theo’s rash began to fade.

She said: “I bought Fairy before Theodore was born, because I thought it was the best detergent for babies, because it’s for sensitive skin.

“I washed all of his clothes and everything in it. I feel like it’s false advertising, I wanted to buy what I thought was best for my baby, despite it being expensive.

“It makes me so mad that I didn’t realise what the cause was sooner.

Now she is sharing a warning for others to be aware of allergies to laundry detergent.

A P&G spokesperson said: “We care deeply about those who use our products, in fact nothing is more important to us than their safety and wellbeing.

“Whilst we don’t discuss details surrounding individual cases publicly, we can confirm that we are in contact with the mother to understand more about this matter and to provide guidance.

“Fairy Non-Bio is carefully formulated to leave washed fabrics clean and safe next to the skin. Fairy Non-Bio is dermatologically approved and complies with all required regulations.”

His eyes first started watering ‘nonstop’ when he was a newborn and then the rash appeared when he was two months oldCredit: SWNS Doctors told Emma that it was eczema and gave her creams and antibioticsCredit: SWNS Emma said how angry she was when she discovered it was actually her laundry detergent causing her son painCredit: SWNS