What diaper-rash creams are safe? Here’s Our Verdict

Triple Paste Medicated Ointment (40% Zinc Oxide)

$$

Quick verdict

Verdict
Avoid
Evidence
Limited

Lead above 4,000 ppb and cadmium were reported in the tested 40% zinc-oxide cream.

The report covers the tested sample, not every batch or every product from this brand. See version details.

Avoid
  • Lead above 4,000 ppb and cadmium were reported in the tested 40% zinc-oxide cream.
Caution
  • This is the 40% zinc-oxide formula, not the separate 12.8% product.

What we could not verify

  • The report covers the tested sample, not every batch or every product from this brand.
  • This is the 40% zinc-oxide formula, not the separate 12.8% product.
  • This review does not establish skin absorption, individual health risk, or current results for an untested lot.
Why we reached this verdict

Lead above 4,000 ppb and cadmium were reported in the tested 40% zinc-oxide cream. The result is published by Lead Safe Mama with a linked laboratory report. The reported detections are the basis for its Avoid tier under our precautionary standard. The report covers the tested sample, not every batch or every product from this brand. The result does not establish the absorbed dose or the health effects of using this product.

Last reviewed .

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Last reviewed

What we like and what concerns us

Avoid
  • Lead above 4,000 ppb and cadmium were reported in the tested 40% zinc-oxide cream.
Caution
  • This is the 40% zinc-oxide formula, not the separate 12.8% product.

What the evidence shows

  • Triple Paste Lead Safe Mama, LLC (Community Collaborative Laboratory Testing Initiative), 2025-09-19

    Tested Triple Paste 40% Zinc Oxide Skin Protectant Diaper Rash Cream was reported at over 4,000 ppb lead (the author compares this to a 1,000 ppb Washington State limit) and positive for cadmium; no cadmium value is given in the article text.

    Independent lab test. About the same product line, not this exact item.

These are independent sources we located and read. Manufacturer statements are not counted as evidence. How we weigh sources

Why we reached this verdict

Verdict: Avoid.

Lead above 4,000 ppb and cadmium were reported in the tested 40% zinc-oxide cream. The result is published by Lead Safe Mama with a linked laboratory report. The reported detections are the basis for its Avoid tier under our precautionary standard. The report covers the tested sample, not every batch or every product from this brand. The result does not establish the absorbed dose or the health effects of using this product.

Price tiers are relative within this category and may change over time.

Findings on this site reflect the specific products, lots, and formulations examined on the dates cited. Manufacturers change formulations and suppliers without notice; a result reported for one lot does not guarantee the same result for another. Check the "last reviewed" date and the cited source before relying on any finding.

Explore materials & ingredients

Open a card to read the disclosure and its sources. Illustrations are conceptual; the recorded evidence below determines what is known.

Explore the evidence

The ingredients discussed in this review

Selected review concerns, not a complete ingredient list. Package versions can differ. The markers show neither amounts nor the origin of any contaminants; a finished-product finding does not identify the ingredient that introduced it.

Equal-sized ingredient symbols, not chemical structures or amounts. They do not identify contaminant origins.
Zinc oxide
Why it is discussed here
The concern here is the reported metal finding in the finished product. This test does not identify zinc oxide as the source.

What we could not verify

  • The report covers the tested sample, not every batch or every product from this brand.
  • This is the 40% zinc-oxide formula, not the separate 12.8% product.
  • This review does not establish skin absorption, individual health risk, or current results for an untested lot.

Missing information stays missing. See the full research record.

Materials & ingredients

Factors flagged in the editorial review.

Material or ingredientWhat it isConcern levelWhy it's flagged here
Zinc oxideZinc oxide is a mineral compound and the FDA-recognized active ingredient in most diaper-rash ointments and mineral sunscreens; it forms a physical barrier on skin and has a long safety record at the concentrations those products use.Use with cautionThe concern here is the reported metal finding in the finished product. This test does not identify zinc oxide as the source.

Testing history

SourceDateTested forResult
Laboratory testing published by Lead Safe MamaSeptember 19, 2025Lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenicLead was reported above 4,000 ppb in the tested 40% zinc-oxide cream.

Explore the research

What the evidence tells us

Lead above 4,000 ppb and cadmium were reported in the tested 40% zinc-oxide cream. Our Avoid rating follows the reported detections, rather than the product’s marketing or certification claims.

What's still uncertain

  • The report covers the tested sample, not every batch or every product from this brand.
  • This is the 40% zinc-oxide formula, not the separate 12.8% product.
  • This review does not establish skin absorption, individual health risk, or current results for an untested lot.
Technical detail & sources

These notes summarize published evidence. We did not commission these tests.

Reported testing

  • Lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic: Lead was reported above 4,000 ppb in the tested 40% zinc-oxide cream.. Laboratory testing published by Lead Safe Mama (September 19, 2025). Read the published report.

Sources to read

Read the category’s editorial sources

Final verdict against our diaper-rash creams standard

Avoid Published as Avoid under the published standard for diaper-rash creams, based on the specific, dated findings above. That standard was written before this or any other product on the page was evaluated, and doesn't change to fit a favorite See the full site-wide standard for how every category is held to the same process.