QV

78 products

QV is the sensitive-skin range from Ego Pharmaceuticals, an Australian family company that has manufactured at Braeside in Victoria since 1953. The whole QV line is built on the same idea: leave out fragrance, colour, lanolin and propylene glycol, because those are the ingredients most likely to irritate skin that is already dry or reactive. It is the range Australian pharmacists reach for first, and it runs from a 100g tube of cream to 1kg tubs and a full baby line.

Popular QV products

QV Cream QV Skin Lotion QV Wash QV Bath Oil QV Intensive QV Baby QV Ceramides

Which QV range is right for me?

The four QV families do different jobs, and most households end up using two of them together. QV Cream and QV Skin Lotion are the everyday moisturisers, cream being the thicker and more occlusive of the two. QV Wash and QV Bath Oil replace soap, which matters more than people expect, because ordinary soap strips the barrier faster than any moisturiser can rebuild it. QV Intensive is the heavier-duty option for very dry, cracked or thickened skin. QV Baby is the same philosophy in gentler formulations for infant skin.

A typical routine for dry or eczema-prone skin is a soap substitute in the shower and a moisturiser straight afterwards, while the skin is still slightly damp. If you are managing a diagnosed skin condition, the range works alongside whatever your doctor has prescribed rather than in place of it.

Made in Australia

Ego manufactures QV at its own plant at Braeside in Victoria and exports to more than thirty countries. For Australian buyers that means the pack sizes, formulations and labelling you find here are the Australian ones, and stock is held and dispatched locally rather than shipped in.

QV Skincare FAQs

Is QV cruelty free? Does Ego test on animals?

Ego Pharmaceuticals states that it does not test its products on animals, and that safety and efficacy work is done by in vitro methods or with human volunteers. Worth knowing as well: since 1 July 2020 Australian law has banned the use of new animal test data for chemicals introduced solely for cosmetic use, so this applies industry-wide here. QV does not carry a third-party cruelty-free certification such as Leaping Bunny, so if formal accreditation matters to you, that is the distinction to be aware of.

Is QV vegan?

QV is not certified vegan as a range, and individual products differ. QV Cream, for example, is free from lanolin, but lanolin-free is not the same thing as vegan. If you avoid all animal-derived ingredients, check the ingredient list on the specific product you are considering, or contact Ego directly for the current formulation.

Is QV a good brand for sensitive skin?

It is one of the most widely recommended ranges in Australian pharmacy for dry and sensitive skin, and the reason is what the formulations leave out rather than any active ingredient. No fragrance, no colour, no lanolin and no propylene glycol removes the four most common triggers for irritation from moisturisers. It is plain rather than sophisticated, and that is the point.

How do you use QV Bath Oil?

It is a soap substitute and a bath additive rather than a wash. Add a capful to a warm bath and soak, or apply it directly to wet skin in the shower and rinse lightly. Be aware it makes the bath and floor slippery, which matters with children and older people. Pat dry rather than rubbing, and moisturise while the skin is still slightly damp.

What is the difference between QV Cream and QV Intensive?

Concentration and weight. QV Cream is the everyday moisturiser for dry to very dry skin. QV Intensive is thicker and more occlusive, intended for skin that is very dry, cracked or thickened, and for areas like heels, elbows and hands that ordinary moisturiser does not hold on. Many people use Intensive on problem areas and the standard cream everywhere else.

Can QV be used on babies and children?

The QV Baby line is formulated for infant skin and is the appropriate starting point. The adult fragrance-free products are also widely used on children, but for newborns and infants, follow your maternal and child health nurse, pharmacist or GP rather than assuming. Stop and seek advice if skin becomes red, weepy or worse.

This information is a general guide and does not replace advice from your doctor or pharmacist. QV moisturisers and washes are non-medicated and do not treat skin conditions. For accidental ingestion or poisoning advice in Australia, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.

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