If you have seborrheic dermatitis, you know how difficult it can be to find a skincare routine that works. You may have tried multiple products and still haven’t found relief.
Aveeno is a skincare brand that offers a line of products for sensitive skin and is used by many seborrheic dermatitis sufferers. I take a deep dive into their star ingredient – prebiotic triple oat complex, and some of their best products for seborrheic dermatitis.
Let’s take a deep dive:
Is Aveeno good for seborrheic dermatitis?
Aveeno is a skincare brand that has been recommended by many doctors and dermatologists to their patients for sensitive skin, dry skin, eczema, and even seborrheic dermatitis.
Most of their products contain their star ingredients – triple oat complex and soy. These compounds are thought to be helpful in alleviating symptoms such as dryness, redness, itchiness, inflammation, and scaling.
They don’t use formadelhyde-based prevervatives, SLS, triclosan, phthalates and other risky chemicals. However, Aveeno isn’t a 100% natural skincare brand either. For example, they use petrolatum – which doesn’t make SD worse for most people, I’m just not a fan.
What are the benefits of triple oat complex for seborrheic dermatitis?
Most of Aveeno’s products boast prebiotic triple oat complex, which is basically a blend of oat extract, oat flour and oat oil. I like oats for skincare. It’s natural and has some evidence behind its use.
Oatmeal has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which can improve the look and feel of seborrheic dermatitis symptoms such as redness, itching, scaling, and discomfort.
In both lab and human studies, oatmeal have been found to reduce histamine release from mast cells, resulting in less itch.
Oat extract has also been shown to have more antifungal activity than other cereals. A lab study showed oat was highly active against P.roqueforti.
Just 1% colloidal oat-containing moisturizer was found to increase lactic acid content of the stratum corneum, improved skin integrity and skin microbiome diversity.
The high concentration of starches and betaglucans in oats make colloidal oatmeal an awesome moisturizer, as evidenced by a study of 50 women with moderate to severe dry skin showing significant improvement with colloidal oatmeal lotion.
Just be aware that oat oil contains mostly palmitic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid. These are all long-chain fatty acids which may encourage Malassezia growth.
There isn’t scientific evidence to support the claims that oat complex or Aveeno is effective in treating seborrheic dermatitis. However, oat extract and colloidal oatmeal has proven skin benefits which may improve SD.
People have certainly found it helpful in relieving symptoms of SD even though there isn’t anything conclusive to back up those claims. Aveeno products are certainly worth trying, especially if your symptoms consists of itching and dry skin.
Let’s look at the best Aveeno products for seborrheic dermatitis (IMHO):
Aveeno Eczema Therapy Itch Relief Balm
Check it out on AmazonThis is probably the only moisturizer on the market to contain both colloidal oatmeal and ceramide. You get the soothing relief from itch and redness from the oats while ceramide helps your skin repair. It’s always nice when your moisturizer does more than one thing.
This gentle balm was awarded the National Eczema Seal of Approval and is steroid-free, paraben-free and fragrance-free.
For SD sufferers, the few things to be aware of are:
- If you have oily or acne-prone skin, this balm may be too rich for you.
- It contains a small amount of plant-derived alcohol anda acids that act as preservatives. If you find your skin reacting to the moisturizer, these are the likely culprits.
Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer
Check it out on AmazonFor oily and acne-prone skin, I much prefer the Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer. It’s a soothing light-weight moisturizer that contains the same prebiotic oat complex plus other calming ingredients like feverfew (crysanthemum) and panthenol (read about the role of B vitamins in seborrheic dermatitis). The preservatives used in this formula are gentler than Aveeno’s other products and only make up 5% of the jar.
Highly recommended.
Aveeno Active Naturals 1% Hydrocortisone Cream
Check it out on AmazonI’m not a fan of steroid creams and will never be. However, I can’t talk about Aveeno products without mentioning that the Aveeno 1% hydrocortisone cream Anti-itch cream (You may be interested in Is seborrheic dermatitis itchy? Yes, and this is how I treat it)
If your seborrheic dermatitis symptoms are so severe that you feel you have no choice but to use steroid creams for a short while, this is probably a good choice. The Aveeno hydrocortisone cream also contains Triple Oat Complex, aloe vera and Vitamin E to help reduce itching, redness and inflammation quick-smart.
Just make sure you only use steroid creams as sparingly as possible, and only when absolutely needed. Steroid creams can break down your skin integrity, which aggravates seborrheic dermatitis in the long run.
To wrap up
I love Aveeno products for both my body and face. While their products are mostly formulated for eczema-prone skin, seborrheic dermatitis sufferers like myself have greatly benefited from some of their formulations. Definitely worth trying to see if it works for you.