Aden + anais, best known among parents for its cotton muslin blankets that soothe “savage beasts,” is moving fast. So fast, that has been earned a spot on Crains New York Business  Fast 50 list. The firm finished at No. 14 among the honorees, which are ranked by revenue growth for three consecutive years and have to maintain a minimum of $10 million in revenue for 2012.
 
 Aden + anais did that, and then some. In fact, this New York-based firm recorded a 651% growth rate with revenues of $29.9 million in 2012.
 
 Now, the company is looking to capture some of the same magic it has in blankets—they are used on the offspring of Hollywood A-listers like Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman and Beyonce—in the skin care sector with mum + bub. The line, which includes lotion, hair and body wash, ointment, bubble bath and stretch mark cream, is described by the company as “gentle enough for baby, but sophisticated enough for you.”
 
Rolled out just over a year ago, the star ingredient in the mum + bub line is pawpaw fruit, according to co-founder and CEO Raegan Moya-Jones.
 
“Just like swaddling babies in breathable cotton muslin, pawpaw has been used in baby skin care by Australian mums for centuries,” said Moya-Jones.
 
Pawpaw fruit, she contends, is known to relieve, cleanse and protect even the most delicate skin when applied topically, soothing skin irritations including diaper rash, eczema and minor cuts.  It contains the papain enzyme, a skin-conditioning agent.
 
Moya-Jones knows a thing or two about soothing; she is also the author of “Swaddle Love,” a book on the art of swaddling.
 
“The versatility of our soothing pawpaw ointment, like the multi-use functions of our swaddle wraps, makes it another essential product for all families,” Moya-Jones told HAPPI.
  
She sees the pawpaw as the point of differentiation, noting that the ingredient is not found in baby skin care products outside of Australia. 
 
According to Moya-Jones, Dr. Thomas P. Lucas discovered pawpaw’s properties in the early 1900s.
  
“Dr. Lucas even started a hospital where patients were solely treated with pawpaw remedies,” she said.
 
To create the line, Moya-Jones worked with board-certified dermatologist Ellen Gendler, a recognized expert in cosmetic contact dermatitis who has consulted on multiple projects with leading companies like Neutrogena, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and others.