Desitin Vs. Desitin Creamy: An Easy Choice
Written: May 24 '01 (Updated May 24 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Desitin virtually trounces diaper rash within 10 hours.
Cons: Desitin virtually requires a brillo pad and nail brush to remove from my hands.
The Bottom Line: In a match between Desitin and Desitin Creamy, Desitin wins hands down.
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| tjarnold's Full Review: Desitin Diaper Rash Ointment |
As the mother of two young children (ages 3 1/2 and almost 2), I should know a thing or two about diaper rash. Or so you'd think. But a few days ago, I had a relatively earth shattering experience when I discovered the difference between Desitin and Desitin Creamy. Neither of my children has ever been particularly susceptible to diaper rash, though occasional bad luck or diarrhea has afforded each of them the opportunity to experience diaper rash ointment application at least a few times in their lives.
Recently, however, while completing the last stages of potty training (complicated by constipation -- oh, the joy of it), my son has had diaper rash so painful and upsetting that he's probably been heard screaming from the changing table and/or bathroom from ten miles away. I'd been regularly applying Desitin Creamy, so often and so liberally that the tube was almost empty. Picking up another tube of ointment at my local Toys R Us, I decided to buy original Desitin instead of its newfangled cousin as I thought I remembered it being more effective when my children were infants. Within 24 hours of my purchase, my son was a new man, he no longer screamed at the thought of a diaper wipe touching his behind, and I was a convert to the cult of the original Desitin. A comparison of the features, benefits, and ingredients of each follows, along with a summary of my experience.
Product Claims:
Desitin
~ Promotes healing, protects skin and relieves chafing
~ First choice of pediatricians for diaper rash
~ A unique formulation containing: Norwegian cod liver oil rich in natural vitamins A and D, plus lanolin, petrolatum and 40% zinc oxide
~ So effective in sealing out wetness and germs that diaper rash starts to disappear in hours
~ Hypoallergenic
According to Desitin's website (http://www.pfizer.com/chc/desitin/expert.htm), Desitin has been clinically tested and shown to provide noticeable relief of diaper rash to 92% of babies within 24 hours and to 68% of babies within 10 hours. More pediatricians recommend and more moms buy Desitin for diaper rash than any other diaper rash ointment.
Desitin Creamy
~ Treats diaper rash and soothes irritated skin
~ Protects healthy skin against diaper rash by creating a barrier against wetness and irritants
~ Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 10%
~ Glides on smoothly, wipes off gently
~ Light, fresh scent
~ Hypoallergenic
Price and Available Sizes:
Prices are from drugstore.com and are current only as of this writing:
Desitin
1 OZ (28g) Tube
2 OZ (57g) Tube 2.99
4 OZ (113g) Tube 4.49
9 OZ (255g) Jar 9.99
16 OZ (454g) Jar 12.99
Desitin Creamy
2 OZ (57g) Tube 2.99
4 OZ (113g) Tube 4.49
Ingredients:
Desitin
Zinc Oxide 40%, BHA, Cod Liver Oil, Fragrance, Lanolin, Methylparaben, Petrolatum, Talc, Water.
Desitin Creamy
Zinc Oxide 10%, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Microcrystalline Wax, Mineral Oil, Propylparaben, Purified Water, Sodium Borate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, White Petrolatum, and White Wax.
Availability:
Both Desitin and Desitin Creamy are widely available in supermarkets and drug stores nationwide. I have also found them online at such etailers as drugstore.com.
Summary:
For my purposes, the difference between original Desitin and Desitin Creamy boils down to this. According to my completely unprovable analysis and confirmed by thoroughly unclinical trials in the tjarnold household, original Desitin is roughly four times as effective in preventing and treating diaper rash as Desitin Creamy. (The original formula contains 40% zinc oxide, the active ingredient, while the new formula contains only 10%.) However, original Desitin has a very distinctive smell and is extremely tenacious. I really have to scrub my hands in order to remove it after application to my children's diaper area. (This is, of course, in part what makes it so effective.)
Desitin Creamy, on the other hand, has a very light scent and is quite easy to remove. However, to employ a timeworn cliché, it's a bit like sending a boy in to do a man's job. If your child has serious diaper rash, it's not much more effective than a placebo. Therefore, my vote is strongly in favor of original Desitin, which I give five stars. In my book, Desitin Creamy deserves only two stars, as its marketing and advertising is somewhat misleading, and it's not very effective at all.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tjarnold
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Location: Connecticut, but I'm a Hoosier at heart
Reviews written: 83
Trusted by: 88 members
About Me:
Mother of two, manager of many. Whatever happened to the myth of "The Total Woman"?
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