Ten Dutch childcare locations are ready to change their habits for healthier skin. Over the next two months, they’ll optimize their practices in skincare and daily cleaning to reduce children’s exposure to allergens, endocrine disruptors, and carcinogenic substances.

Why this matters

More and more children are developing lifelong skin allergies at a young age – and in many cases, this is easily preventable. Contact allergy develops through repeated exposure to allergens in everyday products. Once developed, it never goes away. Prevention is everything. Or as we say: easy to prevent, impossible to reverse.

Skin allergy is one of the most common chronic conditions in Europe. More than 27% of the adult population has a contact allergy. This underscores the importance of focusing on skin health from early childhood.

A world-first campaign

With Skin Heroes, we’re launching a groundbreaking campaign focused on creating skin-friendly environments for children, starting with childcare. The goal is clear: fewer children with skin allergies.

Skin Heroes is the first campaign in the world to actively support childcare centers in reducing children’s daily exposure to allergens. Through practical guidelines, clear communication, and independently assessed products, we make skin-friendly practices concrete and achievable. Not by warning alone, but by showing how daily choices can truly make a difference.

The urgency is real

Research shows children are developing contact allergies more frequently and at younger ages. Repeated exposure to care products plays a major role. Young children have skin that isn’t fully developed yet, making them more sensitive to reactions and irritation. When their skin repeatedly comes into contact with certain substances, it can lead to sensitization – the process where the immune system becomes hypersensitive to a substance and a contact allergy develops.

At the same time, research shows that risk decreases significantly when product use is limited and skin-friendly alternatives are consciously chosen.

How Skin Heroes works

Skin Heroes offers a clear, practical program that supports childcare centers, staff, and parents in creating skin-friendlier environments for children. Childcare locations are guided step by step, with attention to categories like care, hygiene, cleaning, and toys. By raising awareness and working with informed product choices and more conscious use in daily practice, we create shared responsibility for skin health both inside and outside childcare.

Our expertise in assessing products for allergens, endocrine disruptors, and carcinogenic substances forms the foundation of the Skin Heroes program and is translated into concrete action in practice, with support from childcare supplier IBD (Ik Ben Duurzaam), a distributor and supplier of sustainable and allergy-friendly care products.

What parents are saying

“Actually, every pregnant woman should receive information about how everyday products can affect their child’s skin and health.”
— Tatjana, parent at a Skin Heroes location

Villa Bloom: First in the world

The campaign starts at two childcare locations of Villa Bloom. Villa Bloom is the first childcare organization in the world to participate in the Skin Heroes program and consciously commit to developing a skin-friendly environment for children. In the coming weeks, the program will  be implemented at the remaining eight locations.

“Villa Bloom stands for healthy and safe development of children. With our participation in Skin Heroes, we consciously choose skin-friendly products, both for the children and for our professionals. This fully aligns with our vision and is an important step towards a healthy future for our children.”
— Annemieke van der Vaart, Director Villa Bloom Childcare

The bigger picture: A skin-friendly generation

In the long term, we aim to expand the program to all places where children spend their days: schools, after-school care, restaurants, and accommodation facilities. This is how Skin Heroes works towards a broader movement – a skin-friendly generation, where children can safely play, learn, and grow up in skin-friendly environments.