A consumer-advocacy business charted its laboratory results for eleven diaper creams, one unit each, in ascending order of lead. Lead ran from 136 to 4,657 ppb, cadmium from 14.1 to 510 ppb, and mercury was below 5 ppb in every product. Arsenic was below 10 ppb in ten products and 52 ppb in one. The chart rounds to whole numbers. Only four of the eleven values have a laboratory report in this collection.
Key numbers
The chart image (last page of the file) is dated 17 January 2026 and states that all measurements are in parts per billion, rounded to the nearest whole number. The product names are printed on the chart. This page uses the chart’s column numbers. The zinc oxide percentages come from the article’s product list.
| Chart item | Description from the page | Report month | Lead (ppb) | Cadmium (ppb) | Mercury | Arsenic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | calendula diaper cream, 12% zinc oxide | Oct 2025 | 136 | 105 | non detect <5 ppb | 52 |
| 2 | diaper paste, zinc oxide content not stated | Oct 2025 | 554 | 14.1 | non detect <5 ppb | non detect <10 ppb |
| 3 | diaper cream, zinc oxide content not stated | Aug 2025 | 788 | 74 | non detect <5 ppb | non detect <10 ppb |
| 4 | 13% zinc oxide diaper rash cream | Oct 2025 | 1,244 | 45 | non detect <5 ppb | non detect <10 ppb |
| 5 | 40% zinc oxide diaper paste | Aug 2025 | 1,401 | 510 | non detect <5 ppb | non detect <10 ppb |
| 6 | skin protectant listed as 12.8% zinc oxide | Oct 2025 | 1,420 | 137 | non detect <5 ppb | non detect <10 ppb |
| 7 | everyday diaper rash cream, zinc oxide content not stated | Oct 2025 | 1,631 | 17 | non detect <5 ppb | non detect <10 ppb |
| 8 | diaper ointment, zinc oxide content not stated | Oct 2025 | 2,508 | 211 | non detect <5 ppb | non detect <10 ppb |
| 9 | fragrance-free diaper cream, zinc oxide content not stated | Oct 2025 | 3,182 | 123 | non detect <5 ppb | non detect <10 ppb |
| 10 | 40% zinc oxide diaper ointment | July 2025 | 3,304 | 56 | non detect <5 ppb | non detect <10 ppb |
| 11 | 40% zinc oxide diaper paste | Aug 2025 | 4,657 | 473 | non detect <5 ppb | non detect <10 ppb |
Items 4, 5, 10 and 11 match the laboratory reports in Consumer-commissioned laboratory test of a 13% zinc oxide diaper rash cream for lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic (lot 2025-218) (1244.1 and 45.26 ppb), Consumer-commissioned laboratory test of a 40% zinc oxide diaper rash paste for lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic (lot 2025-169) (1401.0 and 509.5 ppb), Consumer-commissioned laboratory test of a 40% zinc oxide diaper rash ointment for lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic (lot 2025-142) (3303.8 and 55.50 ppb) and Consumer-commissioned laboratory test of a 40% zinc oxide maximum-strength diaper rash paste for lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic (lot 2025-182) (4657.1 and 473.1 ppb). Each chart value is the report value rounded to a whole number. The reports for items 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are linked from the article but were not in the collection.
The article states that “the contamination levels for the Zinc Oxide products vary pretty wildly (nor correlated to the percentage of Zinc)“. A warning symbol marks items 4 to 11, which the legend says would exceed the Washington State Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act lead limit “IF the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act (TFCA) standards were applied to diaper ointments”.
Methods (brief)
Each product was one unit analysed by ICP-MS at the laboratory named in the four linked reports. The chart gives no methods beyond that. Results are finished product as sold. Arsenic and mercury are totals. Mercury and arsenic non-detects are printed with the reporting values (<5 ppb and <10 ppb).
Evidence fitness
Items 4, 5, 10 and 11 are supported by the reports they match. The other seven values are secondary chart figures. Here they are leads, not verified results. The article does not say whether items 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9 contain zinc oxide or at what percentage, so lead per unit of zinc oxide cannot be computed for them. No product without zinc oxide (petrolatum, dimethicone or lanolin based) appears on the chart, so it cannot test whether zinc oxide is the carrier of the lead.
Limitations
The chart states whole-number rounding but prints cadmium 14.1 for item 2. A legend colour refers to a “2021 proposed action level” without naming the instrument. The page’s dates are internally inconsistent (post header 18 January 2026, body 17 January 2026, and a funding-statistics line dated 17 January 2025). These inconsistencies do not affect the four values checked against reports. The selection of products reflects community nomination and funding, not sampling.
Related evidence
Update history
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