Finding the Best Lotion for Eczema

In this post we will analyse the most popular currently available lotions for eczema. Most of the information here is taken from various sources across the web and this post is meant to be a general reference.

The following criteria was used when choosing what to include in this list:

• Lotion has to be widely available in North America or online
• Lotion needs to be financial reasonable and not astronomically expensive
• Lotion needs to have a significant amount of reviews on popular shopping websites
• Product must actually be a lotion and not a cream

Lotions that did not meet the following criteria are still included for reference in the section labeled “Additional Lotions for Eczema”. If you have additional information that you believe can be of use to others, leave it in the comments below.

Whats the Difference Between a Cream and a Lotion?

Even though creams and lotions typically have similar and overlapping ingredients, they are in fact different. And this simple difference lies in the viscosity (thickness) of the product. Lotions being less thick and more fluid than creams. This makes them much easier for applying to damaged skin that needs the least amount of rubbing possible.

Quick Introduction

This website has started as a resource for sufferers of seborrheic dermatitis. However, much of the research that I’ve done often mentions eczema and atopic dermatitis. Thus, I’ve decided to provide much of this information as well.

The 7 Most Popular Lotions for Eczema

These are the big top 7 lotions that every eczema sufferer should know about. Their rate of success is exceptionally high and this is apparent by the large number of positive reviews on online retails such as Amazon.

Restoraderm Eczema Moisturizing Lotion 4.7/5

This product was introduced in 2010 and has since gained a ton of popularity among eczema sufferers and the different associations. And even carries the famous Eczema Association seal of approval .The product has been designed to help restore the failing skin barrier and correct any deficiencies that might be present.

The product does this by using filaggrin breakdown products, Sodium PCA and Arginine, to replenish missing components of eczema affected skin. While, building the skin defense by integrating ceramides.

Quite a large amount of research was done in the making of this product and if you want to learn more, check out the pending patent behind it.

The product has an extremely good rating on Amazon (4.7/5) and much of the reviews rave about it’s effectiveness. However, there are some people who have indicated that it causes a burning sensation and does not work well for their skin. This seems to be the case for about 10% of users and discussions I’ve had through this website confirm that fact.

Other notable ingredients include:
– Hyualoronic acid (Sodium hyaluronate)
– Vitamin b3 (Niacinamide)
– Pro-vitamin b5 (Panthenol)
– Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii)
– Caprylic acid

One thing to note, is that the product seems to go by at-least 3 different names. Some of these include “Skin Restoring Moisturizer“, “Eczema Calming Body Moisturizer“, and “Replenishing Moisturizer“. Regardless of the name, the ingredients for all 3 of these appear to be identical. It seems that the naming simply varies from country to country.

The product is priced higher than many of the alternatives listed below. The current price through Amazon is $11.18 for a fairly small 10 ounce bottle. However, the ingredients list reflects this price difference, as it includes some more expensive ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and tocopherols as preservatives instead of parabens. So at-least you are paying for higher quality products instead of just a brand name.

Cortizone 10 Intensive Healing Eczema Lotion 4.4/5

This is next on the list, mainly due to a friends recommendation. The active ingredient here appears to be hydrocortisone (a topical steroids), so it’s not a surprise this stuff works and has garnered some happy users.

However, please know that hydrocortisone is never recommended for long term use. It has the potential to thin skin and can make your skin become dependent on it’s use. Dermatologists will typically only recommend it for short term use in order to get things under control. For long term maintenance less intensive ingredients are recommended.

It’s rating on Amazon is a little lower than the Restoraderm, at only 4.4/5. However, there is still a significant amount of extremely satisfied customers. The bigger negatives came from two areas. First some people indicated that the formula has changed, so perhaps it may no longer be as of an effective of a product as before. Second, some people indicated excessive skin peeling and irritation from it’s use (likely due to reactions to some of the ingredients).

Curel Itch Defense Lotion 4.6/5

This product is marketed as a ceramide based eczema lotion targeted at restoring the skins natural defenses. The product has a variety of highly positive reviews around the web and a ton specifically on Amazon. Plus it carries the Eczema Association seal of acceptance.

Currently the average rating on Amazon is 4.6/5, which is considered quite high. Most of the positive reviews are centered around how effective it has been for restoring moisture to the skin and it’s non-greasy applications.

Surprisingly the product didn’t have a single 1 star review at the time of this writing. However, some of the main negatives were that it didn’t seem to do much for a number of people. Perhaps this is simply due to these peoples skin not agreeing with some of the ingredients.

My biggest issue with this product was that they chose to use methylparaben as a preservative. Methylparaben is considered by many an un-natural preservative and many health care enthusiastic strictly avoid any paraben containing products. However, parabens do have anti-fungal properties and I actually believe they might play a role in helping control eczema by minimizing bacterial activity.

Currently the product is priced at $5.50 for a 13 ounce bottle and at $7.12 for the 20 ounce bottle (prices taken from Amazon). Alternatively it can be bought at Walmart or any other large supermarket for roughly the same price.

CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion 4.6/5

This was actually one of the first lotions that I tried when I started having issues with dry skin. Similar to the Curel above, the product was designed with strong focus on using Ceramides to help restore the skin natural barrier functions. And similar to the Curel the slight negative for me, was the presence of parabens, which have gained quite a negative reputation in recent years (even though the medical community still believes otherwise). However, th product does carry the famous Eczema Association seal of approval.

The reviews on Amazon are generally very positive and many people rave about how quickly it worked for healing their skin. However, several reviews did mention that you must keep using this product in order to control eczema. When I was initially looking for a lotion, the thing that made my want to try the CeraVe was that many reviews noted that it was suggested to them by their dermatologists. This kind of gave the product a bit of extra credibility in books and was the driving force behind the purchase decision.

The product currently has an overall rating on Amazon of 4.6/5. Most of the positive reviews mention that the product was recommended to them by a professional, it works quickly, and several point to some of the studies done around ceramides.

At the time of this writing the product costs $7.86 for a 12oz container through Amazon. Originally when the product came on the market it was priced at around 12.99. And the current price at Walmart in the USA is listed at a slightly higher figure than Amazon, $8.27 for the same 12oz container.

Aveeno Active Naturals Skin Relief 4.7/5

As with most Aveeno products, this one relies on the powerful moisturizing activity of colloidal oatmeal (which is basically extremely fine ground oats). However, unlike many of the companies other product the lotion does not carry the Eczema Association seal of approval.

The ingredients list is fairly short and the product does not contain any parabens. Plus, it is mainly marketed as one of the more natural options for eczema control and as a result has gained quite a strong fan base.

Reviews on Amazon are overall positive and it currently has a great rating of 4.7/5. Most of the positive reviews point out the fact that this is one of the more natural treatment solutions and how quickly it works. While, the majority of negative reviews complain of either receiving a product that has gone bad or bad absorb-ability (likely due to the petrolatum).

When I tried this product for my dry skin effected by seborrheic dermatitis (similar condition to eczema), I had issues with absorb-ability that some reviews mention. However, overall I found the lotion quite an excellent choice for soothing dry hands in the winter months.

In terms of medical research, Collodial oatmeal has quite a large number of clinical studies done around it. Most of which, conclude it’s value as a skincare agent. Here are some of the studies for reference:

• Colloidal oatmeal: history, chemistry and clinical properties.
• The Reduction of Itch During Burn Wound Healing
• Colloidal Oatmeal Formulations as Adjunct Treatments in Atopic Dermatitis

Currently the product is priced at 7.90 for a 18oz bottle through Amazon. Alternatively, it can be bought at practically any big brand store such as Walmart or Target for roughly the same price.

Dermarest Eczema Medicated Lotion 4.5/5

This is another hydrocortisone based product. Initially I was actually on the fence about including it on this list, as I’ve already gone over a medicated lotion. However, because of it’s popularity and overall positive reviews on Amazon I decided it had it’s place on this list.

As of this writing the product has a rating of 4.5/5 on Amazon. And most of the positive reviews describe the quick relief the product provides and how well it heals the skin. However, this is typical for a steroid based lotion.

The majority of the negative reviews actually indicate that the product did absolutely nothing for them and some even say that it had made things worse.

Similar to my comments on the Cortizone lotion earlier in this article, please be aware that hydrocortisone is not recommended for long term treatment. Dermatologists typically only recommend it for short term management and advise more mild solutions be used for ongoing treatment.

Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Skin Therapy Lotion 4.6/5

Gold bond has become a household name for a variety of skin issues. Their line of skin moisturizers is also exceptionally well formulated. However, it appears the product does not carry the Eczema Associations seal of approval.

However, this list would be incomplete without this product. The ingredients list bolsters a line of some of the most proven ingredients in the skin care market and the price of this product is truly hard to beat. On Amazon a whole 20 ounce bottle is priced at only $9.92., while Walmart in the USA carries it at a slightly higher price of $10.44, which is still quite a bargain.

As of this writing the product holds a 4.6/5 rating on Amazon. Most of the positive reviews point out how well this product absorbs into the skin, effectiveness, and how little residue it leaves behind. Morning and daytime applications are emphasized as being very discreet and non-noticeable. While, many of the negative reviews complain of the exact opposite (poor absorb-ability) or a malfunctioning pump.

The product does contain parabens, so for those looking for something without them it may be a poor choice. However, it does contain quite a large number of natural and herbal ingredients, which is definitely a positive.

Additional Lotions for Eczema

These lotions didn’t make the list due to not meeting some of the criteria outlined at the beginning of this post. They are included here simply for reference.

• Baja Baby Nourishing Body Lotion 4.8/5 (Poor retail availability)
• Eczema Lotion by pHat55 4.9/5 (Only 15 reviews)
• Shea Moisture – Raw Shea Butter Baby Healing Lotion 4.2/5 (Poor retail availability)
• Alba Botanica Very Emollient 4.4/5 (Poor retail availability)
• Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Calming Lotion 4.4/5 (Simply too many ingredients)

Creams That Didn’t Make The List Because They Aren’t Considered Lotions

Since this list is dedicated to examining the best lotions for eczema, no creams were included. However, some readers will likely not know about the subtle differences and are simply looking for a product to help with their eczema. So, for completeness here is a list of exceptional creams for eczema treatment that didn’t make this list:

• Aveeno Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream 4.5/5
• Neosporin Essentials Eczema Daily Moisturizing Cream 4.4/5
• Sudocrem Antiseptic Cream 4.5/5
• CeraVe Moisturizing Cream 4.8/5
• Vanicream Moisturizing Skin Cream 4.6/5
• Gold Bond Ultimate Eczema Relief Skin Protectant Cream 4.5/5
• Era Organics Eczema & Psoriasis Cream 4.6/5

Natural Alternatives

In addition to all the commercially available creams discussed above there are a number of natural options for eczema control. The most popular of which appears to be coconut oil and honey. I’ve written posts previously for both of these treatment options, but for a different condition (seborrheic dermatitis). However, the general approach is quite similar, so are the those articles:

• Honey Treatment
• Coconut Oil Treatment

But, these are only two approaches and there appears to be a huge amount of potentially beneficial oils and herbs for eczema treatment. However, the difficulty with many of the natural products appears to be the poor quality control. So, if you are really after a natural solution it may be a good idea to try to formulate something yourself from fresh ingredients using a good online tutorial such as this one:

Conclusion

This post has discussed many of the best lotions for eczema. Hopefully, it can serve as a good starting point for sufferers of eczema and other dry skin conditions. The best way to try these lotions is to seek out a dermatologist in your area who stocks samples, as this can save you a large amount of money while you find the right one for your skin. If you have any useful tips or would like to discuss things further, join the discussion in the comments section below.