Calamine Lotion 200ml

Calamine lotion is the pink lotion almost every Australian household has reached for at some point - after a day in the sun, a night of mosquitoes, or a childhood dose of chickenpox. This is the 200mL British Pharmacopoeia formulation: calamine 15% w/v with zinc oxide 5% w/v, preserved with phenol 0.4%.

Why calamine lotion still works

It works by soothing and protecting rather than medicating. Calamine is a zinc oxide and ferric oxide preparation that has a mild astringent, cooling effect as the water evaporates off the skin, which is what takes the edge off itch. The zinc oxide adds a physical protective layer over irritated skin. There is no antihistamine and no steroid in it - that simplicity is why it suits such a wide range of people, including small children, where stronger actives are not appropriate.

The labelled use is the temporary relief of discomfort and itchiness of minor skin irritations - sunburn, mosquito and insect bites. Apply it freely to the affected area as often as needed. The one instruction people skip is shake the bottle well first: the active settles, and an unshaken bottle dispenses mostly water.

Be clear about the limits. It is for intact skin and minor irritation only. It is not an antiseptic, not an antihistamine, and not a treatment for the cause of a reaction. Skin that is broken, weeping or looks infected, a rash that is spreading, or any swelling beyond the bite site needs a doctor rather than more lotion.

Key features

• Calamine 15% w/v with zinc oxide 5% w/v (British Pharmacopoeia)
• Soothes itch from insect bites, stings and sunburn
• Cooling as it dries - mild astringent and protective action
• No antihistamine, no steroid, no fragrance
• Apply freely to the affected area as required
• 200mL bottle - shake well before every use
• For external use only, on intact skin

Specifications

Common uses

Summer accounts for most of it - mosquito and midge bites, march flies, and the sunburn that follows a day underestimated. It is also the traditional standby for chickenpox itch in children, where the appeal is precisely that it carries no active drug. Households with young children tend to keep a bottle from spring onwards, and it belongs in camping, caravan and beach-house kits for the same reason. If a bite is painful rather than itchy, an anaesthetic gel such as SOOV Bite numbs it instead, and Stingose is the standard first response to a fresh sting. Stocked in our critters, bites and stings range alongside burn treatments and sunscreens.