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Walgreens Ultra Moisturizing Hydrocortisone 1% Anti-Itch Cream Maximum Strength ingredients: is it worth it?
Useful for short-term itch relief, but a poor everyday moisturizer with an unnecessarily irritating and comedogenic base.
Useful for short-term itch relief, but a poor everyday moisturizer with an unnecessarily irritating and comedogenic base.
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The efficacy score is 3.7/5 because hydrocortisone is the genuine treatment active and is appropriate for inflammatory itch, while glycerin, mineral oil, and petrolatum provide real moisturization; however, the formula is not optimized as a moisturizer, contains a low-value vitamin A derivative, and includes sodium lauryl sulfate plus isopropyl palmitate. The safety score is reduced to 3.6/5 because hydrocortisone should be used briefly and as directed, sodium lauryl sulfate may irritate compromised skin, and isopropyl palmitate has high comedogenic potential. The product is body-directed rather than a routine facial moisturizer, and its use should not be extended to large areas or prolonged periods without medical advice.
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DemythSkin rates Walgreens Ultra Moisturizing Hydrocortisone 1% Anti-Itch Cream Maximum Strength 3.7/5 for efficacy and 3.6/5 for safety.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (5)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Hydrocortisone Purpose Anti-itch Uses , temporarily relieves itching associated with minor skin irritations, inflammation, and rashes due to: , eczema , psoriasis , poison ivy, oak, sumac , insect bites , detergents , jewelry , cosmetics , soaps , seborrheic dermatitis , temporarily relieves external anal and genital itching , other uses of this product should be only under the advice and supervision of a doctor, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, aluminum sulfate, calcium acetate, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, cholecalciferol, dextrin, glycerin, isopropyl palmitate, light mineral oil, maltodextrin, methylparaben, propylene glycol, propylparaben, purified water, retinyl palmitate, sodium cetearyl sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, tocopherol, white petrolatum, white wax, zea mays (corn) oil
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (23)⌄
- Hydrocortisone
- Topical anti-itch corticosteroid
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
- Botanical skin-conditioning agent
- Aluminum Sulfate
- Astringent and antiperspirant salt
- Calcium Acetate
- Buffering and stabilizing salt
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- Fatty alcohol emollient
- Cetyl Alcohol
- Fatty alcohol emollient
- Cholecalciferol
- Skin-conditioning vitamin D derivative
- Dextrin
- Binding and viscosity modifier
- Glycerin
- Humectant moisture binder
- Isopropyl Palmitate
- Emollient texture enhancer
- Light Mineral Oil
- Occlusive emollient
- Maltodextrin
- Binder and texture modifier
- Methylparaben
- Preservative
- Propylene Glycol
- Humectant and solvent
- Propylparaben
- Preservative
- Purified Water
- Formula solvent
- Retinyl Palmitate
- Vitamin A derivative
- Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
- Emulsifying surfactant
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
- Primary cleansing surfactant
- Tocopherol
- Antioxidant skin conditioner
- White Petrolatum
- Occlusive barrier protectant
- White Wax
- Structuring occlusive wax
- Zea Mays (Corn) Oil
- Plant-derived emollient oil
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Hydrocortisone: FDA-labeled topical anti-itch corticosteroid; Walgreens lists 1% hydrocortisone as the active ingredient for temporary relief of itching
White Petrolatum: Established occlusive moisturizer that reduces water loss from the skin
Glycerin: Established humectant that attracts water into the outer skin layer
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
Walgreens Ultra Moisturizing Hydrocortisone 1% Anti-Itch Cream Maximum Strength: common questions
Is Walgreens Ultra Moisturizing Hydrocortisone 1% Anti-Itch Cream Maximum Strength worth it?
Walgreens Ultra Moisturizing Hydrocortisone 1% Anti-Itch Cream Maximum Strength scores 3.7 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Modest) and 3.6 out of 5.0 for safety (Mostly Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. Useful for short-term itch relief, but a poor everyday moisturizer with an unnecessarily irritating and comedogenic base.
What are the key active ingredients in Walgreens Ultra Moisturizing Hydrocortisone 1% Anti-Itch Cream Maximum Strength?
Walgreens Ultra Moisturizing Hydrocortisone 1% Anti-Itch Cream Maximum Strength contains no gold-standard actives. Its formula is built on supporting and base ingredients rather than clinically transformative actives.
Does Walgreens Ultra Moisturizing Hydrocortisone 1% Anti-Itch Cream Maximum Strength contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in Walgreens Ultra Moisturizing Hydrocortisone 1% Anti-Itch Cream Maximum Strength as documented irritants: Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil.
How is Walgreens Ultra Moisturizing Hydrocortisone 1% Anti-Itch Cream Maximum Strength scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
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