STYLE : Spring Beauty : The Latest on Looks : Pretty Baby

Inquisitive, highly educated and environmentally concerned, today’s parents are the ideal consumers for baby products made with natural ingredients, recyclable packaging and no animal testing. These premium potions are pricey, but that doesn’t bother baby boomers.

At Fred Segal on Melrose, sales in Ron Robinson’s Life Size boutique are brisk: Baby Thymes lotions and shampoos contain chamomile extract. Brightly colored Nancy’s Country Soaps,shaped like cowboy boots, airplanes and bunnies, are biodegradable. Burt’s Bees Baby Bee line features Dusting Powder, made with crushed herbs and flowers, and Skin Creme, made with beeswax, aloe vera and almond oil.

“Living in an arid climate with hard water, customers are looking for non-drying products without dyes or excessive fragrance,” notes Jane Kennedy, owner of Palmetto in Santa Monica. She carries Mustela’s baby sunscreen products with high SPFs.

Both Life Size and Palmetto carry Aromatherapy For Kids,plant-based formulations that are “child strength” in an array of rubs and baths. Ah-Choo-Calyptus helps prevent colds during flu season, Lavender Lullaby helps kids sleep and Jumpin’ Juniper soothes aches and pains. At Botanika in Santa Monica,Botanika Baby Tear Free Herbal Baby Wash is soap-free and c,fc Botanikids Body Lotion contains no mineral oil. H20 Plus For Kids’water-based bath gels are allergy-tested and pH-balanced, so they won’t dry tender skin. And the Body Shop developed 17 Mamatoto (it means “mother and baby” in Swahili) products for the company’s nearly 1,000 stores all over the world.

“People are more conscious now than ever before,” says Ron Robinson. “In 1986, I stocked a high-quality baby line from Europe. I ended up taking it all home and using it on myself.”