US News & World Report: Dermatologists rank CeraVe, Neutrogena best in OTC products
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Key takeaways:
- The Best Over-The-Counter Medicine & Health Products list was compiled by 122 dermatologists.
- Experts ranked CeraVe and Neutrogena products No. 1 due to their efficacy, safety and affordability.
CeraVe and Neutrogena over-the-counter products topped the U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best OTC Medicine & Health Products list, according to a press release.
The list ranks health products with the intention of helping consumers choose the best ones for themselves and their families.
In partnership with The Harris Poll, U.S. News surveyed 354 pharmacists and 122 dermatologists for its second annual rankings of products across 132 categories including adult and children’s cough suppressants, men’s and women’s multivitamins, a plethora of dermatologic indications and more. This was the first year that dermatologists were included in the survey.
According to Shanley Chien, MS, senior health editor at U.S. News & World Report, all products were ranked based on safety, efficacy and quality as well as cost/affordability, availability and feedback from patients and customers.
“Many dermatologists also took into account their personal experience with the skin care companies’ products to determine how they ranked each brand within the respective categories,” Chien told Healio.
To determine the rankings, experts selected their top three recommended brands within each assigned product category. Here are the brands that dermatologists ranked No. 1 in each category:
Eye cream for wrinkles: La Roche-Posay
Hand creams: Neutrogena
Moisturizers with SPF: CeraVe
Night creams: CeraVe
Retinol creams and serums: Neutrogena
Sunscreen for face: EltaMD
Vitamin C serum: La Roche-Posay
Vitamins for hair growth: Nutrafol
Wrinkle creams: Neutrogena
In addition to performing “the best” based on efficacy, safety and quality standards, products that ranked No. 1 were also inexpensive, accessible and well-formulated, according to Chien.
“After all, skin care doesn’t have to be expensive to be effective,” she said.
While CeraVe and Neutrogena earned top marks for efficacy, safety, quality, cost and availability, many dermatologists also based their assessments of each brand on how well products were formulated, Chien explained.
“Given that the texture of skincare products — such as lotions, creams, serums and sunscreens — can play a big role in how well they perform on the skin and how much people enjoy using them, our dermatologists generally found CeraVe and Neutrogena to be two of the top brands that manufactured cosmetically elegant products,” Chien said.