Maximum Strength Original Diaper Rash Paste — Reddit Reviews
by Desitin
Updated October 13, 2026
40% zinc oxide calms redness and reinforces compromised skin; heavy, scented.
What the community says
A 40% zinc oxide paste with petrolatum, lanolin, beeswax, and cod liver oil creates a serious occlusive layer for irritated, barrier-damaged skin. It can calm facial redness, but the white, scented finish feels heavy, clogs pores, and washes off stubbornly.
What this means for you
What people love
Watch out for
- Clogs pores for some users
- Smell can become intolerable
- Not a reliable eczema fix
Product details
Key Ingredients
Skin type data limited
Where to buy
What the science says
Skin Barrier
Some evidence
Petrolatum: 13 studies tested it on its own. See all 22 studies
What the studies found
- Most studies found it helped the skin barrier
- It often helped dry, rough, or itchy skin look and feel better
- It helped the skin's protective layer heal faster after damage in some studies
- It could lower water loss through the skin, even after a single use
- Some studies found no clear difference for diaper rash or irritated skin
Eczema
Some evidence
Petrolatum: 8 studies tested it on its own. See all 11 studies
What the studies found
- Most studies found it helped eczema or dry, fragile skin linked with eczema
- It often improved dryness, helped the skin hold more water, and lowered water loss through the skin
- Some studies found calmer skin, with less scaliness and better overall skin changes
- It worked about as well as some other barrier creams in one clinical trial
- Some studies found it worked less well than certain other treatments
Research context, not treatment advice. Studies are about the ingredient, not necessarily this exact product.
Real Reddit threads — 13 mentions across 7 threads
Desitin Maximum Strength Original Diaper Rash Paste on Reddit, in one place — 7 threads from r/Rosacea, r/eczema and 1 more, summarized.
“we’ve tried timolol, metro gel, azelaic acid, clotrimazole, otc ivermectin, pyrithione zinc, desitin…”
Mentioned
“At night, a very thin layer of Desitin.”
Positive
“My skin is in almost in perfect shape (I had type 2).”
Positive
“Where do you get ivermectin and desitin?”
Positive
“then after that had to build my skin barrier and used the purple desitin has 40% zinc and helped rebuild the barrier.”
Positive
“Desitin”
Positive
“LRP cicablast (which I LOVE!), Vanicream, Iunik Gluca serum, Byoma milky toner, Sulfur soap, Desitin.”
Positive
“Desitin or Sudocream?”
Mentioned
“Desitin has 40%”
Mentioned
“I plan on using this every night.”
Mentioned
“Things I tried:”
Cautionary
“Desitin (for zinc)”
Cautionary
“none of my normal stuff worked.”
Cautionary