Eucerin is a drugstore brand that formulates products to treat dry skin and eczema. The brand offers dozens of different creams to help alleviate skin dryness, redness, and itching, which can make it pretty daunting to choose a product to fit your specific needs.
In order to help you out, below we’ll discuss the top 10 best Eucerin creams with a scientific lens, meaning we’ve evaluated the research that supports (or doesn’t support) the ingredients that you’ll find in these products.
OUR TOP SKINCARE PICKS
| Rank | Brand | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrot & Stick | Review | |||||
| 2 | Formulyst | Review | |||||
| 3 | Skinceuticals | Review | |||||
| - | Eucerin Cream |
We’ll also share some Eucerin cream reviews so you can get a better idea of what customers really think about these products.
What Are The Top 10 Best Eucerin Cream Products?
Eucerin sells a variety of creams, lotions, ointments, cleansers, sunscreens, and even baby care products. Since we’re focusing on the Eucerin creams in this review, here’s a breakdown of the top 10 best Eucerin cream products.
Eucerin Original Healing Cream
The original Eucerin Cream has a very thick, rich texture, making it an ideal solution for those with extremely dry, compromised skin. The fragrance-free formula primarily consists of occlusives, such as petrolatum, mineral oil, ceresin wax, and lanolin alcohol.
Since occlusive ingredients form a protective barrier on the surface of skin, they are best for those with very dry skin and conditions like eczema and psoriasis. Applying an occlusive moisturizer immediately after bathing can be an effective way to trap additional water in the skin.
Petrolatum is also an excellent ingredient to use on compromised skin since it functions as a skin protectant. It protects the skin after an injury by replicating the occlusive properties of the stratum corneum.
When a wound is healing, the new, underdeveloped stratum corneum allows abnormally high levels of water loss. If too much water is lost, the area can become dehydrated. The state of dehydration signals to various cells in the epidermis to synthesize and release collagen. When the body produces too much collagen, scarring can result.
Applying products with petrolatum to a skin injury provides the newly formed stratum corneum with improved occlusion and aids in retaining optimum water levels. When the skin is properly hydrated, the risk of scar formation decreases.
Bottom Line: A thick cream with several occlusive ingredients that form a protective barrier on the surface of skin, making this Eucerin Cream ideal for those with very dry, compromised skin.
Eucerin Eczema Relief Cream
Castor seed oil is one of the star ingredients in Eucerin Eczema Relief Cream. What sets castor seed oil apart from other seed oils is its unique fatty acid composition consisting of approximately 90% ricinoleic acid.
According to Medical News Today, castor oil has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and moisturizing properties, thus making it useful for treating dry, irritated skin.
One problem with castor oil is that it’s quite thick and can be sticky when applied to the skin alone. That’s why the Eucerin Eczema Relief Cream contains additional ingredients, such as glycerin and emollients, resulting in a product that’s rich yet easy to spread.
Bottom Line: Eucerin Eczema Relief Cream includes a high concentration of castor seed oil, as well as additional humectants and emollients.
Eucerin Urea Repair Face Cream
Just as the name suggests, this Eucerin face cream includes urea as the key ingredient. Urea is a multi-tasking skin care ingredient that exhibits five main functions: retaining moisture, barrier maintenance, exfoliation, increasing permeability, and providing pain and itch relief.
One way that urea provides these benefits is because it’s a component of the skin’s natural moisturizing factor (NMF). According to an article by Practical Dermatology,
the NMF is composed principally of free amino acids, as well as lactic acid and urea. All of these substances work together to keep the skin’s surface intact, supple, and hydrated.
The NMF can become depleted as we age, and also from routine exposure to sensitizing ingredients like drying cleansing agents and denatured alcohol. The result is visibly dry, tight-feeling, flaky skin.
Therefore, using skin care products that replenish the components of the NMF — such as urea in Eucerin Urea Repair Face Cream — can help to reduce dryness and tightness to keep it soft, smooth and healthy.
Bottom Line: The urea in Eucerin Urea Repair Face Cream helps to replenish the skin’s NMF, thereby reducing dryness and tightness to keep it soft, smooth, and healthy.
Eucerin Hand Cream
Another Eucerin cream that contains urea as a key ingredient is the Advanced Repair Hand Cream. The formula includes several more ingredients that assist urea in replenishing the skin’s NMF, such as lactic acid, sodium PCA, and amino acids.
The formula also includes emollients to soften skin, as well as one ceramide and cholesterol to help strengthen the skin’s barrier function. These ingredients are especially important for the skin on your hands since it can become stripped from frequent hand washing and external factors like very cold temperatures and harsh wind.
Bottom Line: Eucerin Hand Cream combines Natural Moisturizing Factors with barrier-strengthening ingredients to help keep hands soft, smooth, and hydrated.
Eucerin Foot Cream
Eucerin Foot Cream has a very similar formula as the Eucerin Hand Cream, with key ingredients like urea, glycerin, sodium PCA, amino acids, emollients, ceramide NP, and cholesterol.
Since the formulations are so similar, you could just purchase one product and use it on both your hands and feet, as well as other parts of your body with dry skin. There’s nothing unique about this Eucerin cream that would make it only suitable to use on your feet.
Bottom Line: Eucerin Foot Cream has a nearly identical formula as Eucerin Hand Cream with Natural Moisturizing Factors and barrier-strengthening ingredients to help keep feet soft, smooth, and hydrated.
Eucerin Advanced Repair Cream
Eucerin Advanced Repair Cream is said to be a “breakthrough” in repairing very dry skin, but we noticed that the formula contains many of the same ingredients as the other Eucerin creams.
For example, the formula includes a high concentration of both glycerin and urea. These are both excellent ingredients for increasing the skin’s hydration. Additional ingredients that bind moisture to the skin include lactic acid, sodium PCA, and amino acids.
There’s also emollients like shea butter and barrier-repairing ingredients like ceramide NP and cholesterol. The result is a medium-weight cream that helps to moisturize skin, but we wouldn’t call it a “breakthrough” by any means.
Bottom Line: A medium-weight cream with Natural Moisturizing Factors and barrier-strengthening ingredients to help repair and moisturize very dry skin.
ALTERNATIVES: Carrot & Stick The Repair Cream. It’s formulated to nurture and protect skin’s microbiome. The microbiome is the ecosystem of microbes that live on the skin surface. Happy microbes equal a healthy microbiome and a healthy microbiome equals healthier-looking, more radiant skin.
Eucerin Q10 Anti Wrinkle Face Cream
Ubiquinone, also known as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), is used in this Eucerin cream to defend against signs of skin aging. CoQ10 is naturally found within the mitochondria of cells and is essential for cellular energy production.
When applied to the skin, CoQ10 functions as an antioxidant that can counteract both short‐term environmental oxidative stress as well as age‐related CoQ10 deficits. Additional antioxidants in this cream include vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene.
However, the potency of these antioxidants will diminish over time since the cream is packaged in a jar (antioxidants degrade when exposed to light and air).
There’s also emollients like shea butter and caprylic/capric triglyceride to soften and moisturize skin. These emollients create a rich yet non-greasy texture that helps to lock in moisture.
Bottom Line: A rich anti-wrinkle face cream that protects skin from environmental free radicals that can cause premature skin aging.
ALTERNATIVES: Carrot & Stick The Moisturizer. It’s overflowing with potent plant proteins, vitamins, peptides and amino-collagen.
Eucerin Baby Cream
Eucerin Baby Cream is gentle enough to use every day to moisturize and nourish a baby’s delicate skin, leaving it soft, smooth, and protected. It’s free of fragrances, dyes, and drying alcohols and is hypoallergenic.
The key ingredients in this formula include humectants like glycerin and panthenol, as well as emollients like mineral oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride, and shea butter. Together, these ingredients soften and moisturize skin.
Bottom Line: Eucerin Baby Cream is a simple formula with humectants and emollients to soften and moisturize a baby’s skin.
Eucerin Skin Calming Cream
Colloidal oatmeal is the key ingredient in the Eucerin Skin Calming Cream that helps to soothe dry, itchy skin. Colloidal oatmeal has been used for centuries to soothe and heal the skin, as well as reduce inflammation and redness.
According to the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, avenanthramides are the principle polyphenolic antioxidants in oats that provide anti-inflammatory, anti-redness, anti-itch, and antihistamine effects when applied to the skin. Therefore, colloidal oatmeal is an excellent ingredient to help soothe redness and itchiness due to eczema.
Bottom Line: Eucerin Skin Calming Cream includes colloidal oatmeal to soothe dry, itchy skin.
Eucerin Redness Relief Night Cream
Eucerin Redness Relief Night Cream is a soothing, hydrating formula that helps reduce redness for sensitive and redness-prone skin at night. The formula contains Licochalcone, a skin soothing extract derived from licorice root.
The rest of the formula includes humectants like glycerin and panthenol, as well as emollients like caprylic/capric triglyceride and squalane. There’s also the silicone dimethicone to help improve spreadability while also giving your skin a silky, smooth feel.
One problem with this Eucerin cream is the inclusion of parabens as preservatives. The use of parabens in skin care products is controversial because there is conflicting research on the potential health consequences of long term exposure to parabens.
According to the EWG, parabens can act like the hormone estrogen in the body and disrupt the normal function of hormone systems affecting male and female reproductive system functioning, reproductive development, fertility, and birth outcomes.
Bottom Line: Eucerin Redness Relief Night Cream includes licorice root extract to soothe irritated skin while humectants and emollients soften and hydrate skin, but keep in mind that the formula contains parabens.
What Are The Key Ingredients in Eucerin Cream Products?
While there are many different Eucerin cream products, we noticed that a few of the same key ingredients are used throughout the collection, which include:
- Occlusives (i.e. petrolatum, mineral oil, etc.)
- Emollients (i.e. shea butter, caprylic/capric triglyceride)
- Silicones (i.e. dimethicone)
- Humectants (i.e. glycerin, panthenol, etc.)
- Natural Moisturizing Factors (i.e. urea, sodium PCA, amino acids, etc.)
- Barrier-replenishing ingredients (i.e. ceramides, cholesterol, etc.)
The brand also uses soothing botanical extracts in some of their products. For example, Eucerin Skin Calming Cream includes colloidal oatmeal, and Eucerin Redness Relief Night Cream includes licorice extract.
Despite all of these beneficial ingredients found in the Eucerin, we want to remind you that most Eucerin products include parabens in their formulations.
Parabens are preservatives used to extend the shelf life of a product by preventing microbial contamination. But the use of parabens in cosmetics and skin care products is controversial because there is conflicting research on the potential health consequences of long term exposure to parabens.
According to the EWG, parabens can act like the hormone estrogen in the body and disrupt the normal function of hormone systems affecting male and female reproductive system functioning, reproductive development, fertility, and birth outcomes. Parabens are easily absorbed into the skin, which means that continuously using products that contain parabens could lead to elevated estrogen levels.
We recommend products that are free from parabens, as well as sulphates, and formaldehyde. One brand is Carrot & Stick. We recommend Carrot & Stick The Moisturizer.
How Much Are Eucerin Cream Products?
Eucerin Cream products are priced in line with other drugstore moisturizers, such as CeraVe and AmLactin. For example, Eucerin Original Healing Cream costs $12.12 for a 16 ounce jar on Walmart.com, while the Eucerin Eczema Relief Cream costs $11.20 for an 8 ounce tube.
Where to Buy Eucerin Cream Products?
Eucerin cream products are not sold on the brand’s website. You must buy Eucerin products on third party online retailers, such as Walmart, Target, Amazon, and more.
Eucerin cream products are also sold in physical retail locations throughout the United States, such as Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc.
What is The Eucerin Cream Return Policy?
Eucerin does not have a return policy on their website since they do not sell products on their website and, therefore, don’t accept returns.
Is Eucerin Cruelty Free?
Eucerin is not cruelty free.
Is Eucerin Cream Vegan?
While some Eucerin creams may be suitable for vegans, this is not a 100% vegan brand because some formulations contain lanolin alcohol, an ingredient derived from sheep’s wool.
Eucerin Cream Reviews
There aren’t many Eucerin reviews on the brand’s website, so we had a look on Amazon to evaluate the reviews. One of the most popular creams is Eucerin Eczema Relief Cream, which has earned an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars after more than 15,000 customer reviews.
Many of the positive reviews for the Eucerin Eczema Relief Cream call this product a “lifesaver” because it’s the only product that helped to improve the symptoms of eczema.
For example, one review says, “We’ve tried so many body creams to help my now 4-year-old son with his severe eczema and this cream works wonders! The other one we tried was Melaleuca body lotion, but it’s more expensive and it requires monthly membership. Thanks to Eucerin body cream, we don’t have to overspend!”
And another 5-star review says, “I bought this as it was recommended by my son’s pediatrician for his eczema. It has worked well. We have been diligent in applying this many times a day. There is no scent and does not rub off on his outfits. It is not a greasy feeling and absorbs fast. I was happy with this product and would purchase it again.”
This Eucerin cream also helps with seborrheic dermatitis, as one reviewer shares, “This product has been the ONLY thing to help a bout of seborrheic dermatitis that literally came out of nowhere. It was so painful and nothing was working until I tried this, which almost fully cleared it up within 24 hours. Highly recommended!”
However, there are a handful of negative reviews for the Eucerin Eczema Relief Cream from customers who didn’t notice much relief from their eczema symptoms with this product.
For example, one review says, “I used this for a couple months because I had eczema on a small part of my neck. It didn’t really do much as the eczema never died down. It would relieve the itch for a little bit but within a couple hours it would start to itch again.”
And another reviewer experienced a burning sensation after using this Eucerin cream, as the review says, “This is supposed to be an Eczema Relief Cream. It burned my skin so badly I had to wash it off and use some aloe to calm it down. And I have never had sensitive skin! I would give it a MINUS star.”
Our Verdict
Overall, we think that the Eucerin creams are formulated well and should help to relieve skin dryness while also repairing the skin barrier.
Pros
- Beneficial ingredients for dry skin (occlusives, emollients, humectants, etc.)
- Eucerin creams are fragrance free
- Many positive Eucerin cream reviews
Cons
- Eucerin is not cruelty free
- Some Eucerin creams contain parabens
What Are Some Alternatives to Eucerin Cream Products?
If you’re looking for hydrating skincare products for dry skin, we recommend Carrot & Stick. Carrot & Stick maximizes the use of powerful ingredients and minimizes the use of superficial ones, resulting in advanced skincare solutions that help promote healthy, more youthful-looking skin. We recommend this repair moisturizer.
References:
Medical News Today “Benefits of castor oil for the face and skin”
Practical Dermatology “Understanding the Role of Natural Moisturizing Factor in Skin Hydration” Joseph Fowler, MD, FAAD July 2012
J Drugs Dermatol. 2014;13(10):1180-1183.
