Could a £4 pot of Sudocrem hold the secret to perfect skin? I tried out beauty’s latest craze
TikTok beauty trends. Crikey, some make my eyes roll – like taping chunks of raw potato to your face to blitz pimples. That said, the seemingly bonkers TikTok trend of applying babies’ bum cream to one’s face caught my attention, particularly as it has the go-ahead from US dermatologist Dr Shereene Idriss. The doctor posted a video of herself applying Triple Paste, used for nappy rash, and similar to the UK’s Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream, to her stunning visage and it went viral. The post. Not her face.
She used this bathroom staple – which in the case of Sudocrem will set you back less than £4 (£3.75, Boots) if you don’t already have a tub at the back of the drawer – to calm and beautify her skin before beddy-byes, something she calls ‘face-basting’. While she joked that the white unction made her appear like a ghost (scary) or a buttercream cupcake (tasty), she said there were benefits to be had from one of its key ingredients, zinc oxide, which has a soothing effect while locking in moisture. She recommends using it when your complexion is inflamed, irritated or parched.
Not one to avoid research, I scooped up a tub of Sudocrem to give it a go. It contains 15.29 per cent zinc oxide, as well as benzyl alcohol, which has antiseptic properties and works as a mild local anaesthetic, and anhydrous hypoallergenic lanolin, a softening emollient. The formula, which is indicated to treat eczema and acne as well as nappy rash, hasn’t changed since 1931.
Before I dipped and daubed, I checked in with Dr David Jack, founder of his eponymous clinics in aesthetic medicine. ‘Zinc oxide is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, which is why it’s soothing and healing. It’s also slightly occlusive, meaning it seals in moisture, although some people find it tends to block pores,’ he says. ‘You might also read that this ingredient can help support collagen production. However, in terms of using a nappy cream for anti-ageing, obviously there are considerably more sophisticated formulations out there, containing effective ingredients backed up by clinical evidence. That said, it’s unlikely to do your skin any harm.’
So that night, I slapped on the Sudocrem. Cut to the next morning and a spot had sprung up on my cheek. Now, there’s no scientific way of knowing what caused said spot as many variables were at play, and it’s not the first time in history I’ve woken up with a geriatric zit. But that aside, my skin felt a little dry and looked slightly matt, which is not what I expected. I was aiming for super-satiny.
Not wanting to ditch the experiment prematurely, I tried again because Dr Idriss also suggests using the diaper cream as a final layer. The idea is that you apply your regular serum and moisturiser (although nothing with retinol in it) before the nappy cream. OK. Understood. Better. But not so much that I’d make it a beauty basic. Having said that, on hearing of my experiment, a couple of friends and colleagues have divulged that they use Sudocrem as a regular zit zapper and swear by its efficacy.
And if nothing else, this has made me look afresh at zinc oxide. I already knew it featured in mineral sunscreens such as Pai British Summer Time SPF 30 (£29, Pai) and can work well for sensitive skin (btw, never use a nappy cream or some such in place of zinc oxide sun protection; stick to a proper suncare product, evaluated for its SPF). The ingredient is also in Avène Eau Thermale Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream (currently £7.60, Boots), which I found super-soothing on sensitised skin. Now that could become a new staple. If I can just find something that helps me sleep like a baby, that would make this the perfect bedtime story.
British Summer Time SPF 30, £29, Pai; Sudocrem, £3.75, Boots; Avène Eau Thermale Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream, £7.60, Boots
