Nancy needs natural: I’m always looking for natural alternatives and I was wondering if Aveeno products are anything special? Is oatmeal really good for skin?

The Left Brain responds:

The answer to your question is a simple: Yes and no. No, Aveeno is not anything special and yes, oatmeal is really good for your skin. Let me explain.

All about Aveeno

I don’t mean to be too harsh about Aveeno. It’s a fine brand but there’s nothing particularly natural or special about it. If you look at the ingredients used in Aveeno products you’ll see they prominently feature a variety of “Avena Sativa (oat) Kernel” extracts. But you’ll also see typical cleansing and conditioning ingredients used in many skin care products. While Aveeno tries to distinguish itself by featuring oat protein, there’s really nothing functionally different about their formulas. They are very nice products but they’re not exceptionally natural.

Oats are ok!

But, and here’s the exciting part, researchers for the German company Symrise have recently synthesized and stabilized the active ingredient in oatmeal that really does help soothe skin. According to the Dermatology Times the active ingredient is an inhibitor of histamine called dihydroavenanthramide E. It’s chemically similar to the topical antihistamine Tranilast, which could explain its anti-itch properties. It can also be easily added to cosmetic creams and lotions. I’m not aware of any products using this new technology yet, but if the Beauty Brains become aware of any, I’ll be sure to let you know.