If you have sensitive skin and suffer from eczema, you need to choose products that are as natural and organic as possible, with as few ingredients in them as possible. Those who are prone to eczema flare-ups tend to be very sensitive to irritants found in most skincare products. So today I’m going to take you through using E45 vs Aveeno for eczema…and whether there is a better alternative!
I used E45 cream for my eczema for many years as a child, and while the bath milk did help slightly, the E45 Intensive Recovery really did help, for a while…until it didn’t. Eventually it stopped working, and when I looked further into the ingredients, I discovered that actually the ingredients are not good for dry skin that suffers from eczema. I then looked into Aveeno as it’s also a cream for eczema that’s widely recommended on the internet, especially for babies and children. However, the ingredients in that are also no good for eczema and dry skin and it seems that many babies and children actually have a terrible reaction to it and find that it ‘stings’ the skin.
Study Found That Emollient Creams Damage Skin
Looking further into this, I found the 2010 study from the University of Bath that discovered that “using emollient creams to relieve the symptoms of eczema could actually make the condition worse. The researchers have published a study showing that aqueous cream BP reduces the thickness of healthy skin over a period of four weeks, calling into question whether the cream should be used for treating eczema, particularly for children and babies who have more sensitive skin.”
Not only is the aqueous cream BP that both E45 and Aveeno are made from damaging for the skin, but both products are actually full of extra nasty, irritating chemicals that can cause a reaction in those with sensitive skin and make eczema even worse the longer you use them. Two of these key ingredients are paraffin, and alcohol, both known irritants. Which I suppose is why so many find that they sting the skin.
Alternative Organic Products For Eczema
In summary, both E45 and Aveeno are probably two of the worst products you can use on dry skin, eczema, and sensitive skin. Instead, I recommend you try MooGoo’s products. They make organic creams that truly do work on soothing and hydrating dry skin, and do not contain the harmful irritants that damage sensitive skin. They absolutely rescued my dry skin and eczema patches on my body (specifically on my wrists, in my elbows, under my knees etc).
I recommend the MSM Cream (my personal favourite), the Udder Cream (a favourite among everyone else!), and the Milk Body Wash. All of MooGoo’s products can also be used around the eyes for eye eczema, as well as elsewhere on the body.
Aveeno vs E45
However, if price is important to you and you are intent on using either E45 or Aveeno, read on for the full comparison. The main difference is that Aveeno is an American brand owned by Johnson & Johnson, while E45 is a UK brand. Aveeno does also tend to be cheaper than E45. The best way to apply both brand’s lotion and cream products is to apply them immediately after bathing, to lock in the moisture.
Aveeno
Users of Aveeno products have reported fast-absorption, and of course they do temporarily hydrate the skin as the cream is an emollient. They advertise their products as being made from ‘fresh oat flour’ ingredients, however if you really want to experience the benefits of ‘fresh oat flour’ on your dry skin, you’re better off putting a handful of oats into a muslin or sock, tying it to the tap, and letting the hot water run over it and into the bath.
On the plus side, many Aveeno products are fragrance-free, which is something! Aside from that though, I really do think Aveeno are quite a damaging brand and very guilty of greenwashing. They frequently advertise their products as ‘natural’, despite them containing triclosan, PEGs, paraffinum liquidum mineral oil, silicones, tetrasodium EDTA, and disodium EDTA (aka, not good ingredients for sensitive and dry skin).
If you still wish to purchase Aveeno, you can do so here.
E45
The E45 brand have a selection of products ranging from creams, to lotions, and bath milks and oils. Their products tend to be very light, and like Aveeno, will temporarily provide moisture to the skin. Like Aveeno, the majority of their products are perfume-free, which is the one plus side of the products.
E45 products are spouted as ‘dermatologically tested’, which is actually very ambiguous and misrepresentative as being dermatologically tested simply means that scientists conducted tests on a very small number of variants and determined whether the people in the study had severe reactions or not. They do not specifically test on those who suffer from sensitive skin, and as such this term is slightly misleading as it causes a general assumption that products are safe and suit all skin types, when actually the products are usually not tested based on how many times they’ve been applied; or if the skin will/can react under alternative, untested measures.
If you still wish to purchase E45, you can do so here.
Final Word on E45 vs Aveeno
As I stated earlier, if you can afford it I would avoid both of these products and opt for something more natural like MooGoo. It will be much better for your skin and cause less eczema flare-ups long-term as it will keep your skin barrier intact rather than reducing the thickness like the emollient creams. However, if you had to choose between Aveeno and E45, I would likely choose Aveeno.
