Maximum Strength Original Diaper Rash Paste — Reddit Reviews
by Desitin
Updated November 3, 2026
40% zinc oxide calms redness and supports barrier repair; thick and smelly.
What the community says
A 40% zinc oxide paste with petrolatum, lanolin, and fragrance, used as an overnight spot mask for redness or barrier damage. It suits resilient, irritated skin, but acne-prone faces may clog and the smell lingers.
What this means for you
What people love
- 40% zinc oxide for angry redness
- Locks in hydration over peeling skin
Watch out for
Product details
Skin type data limited
Where to buy
What the science says
Skin Barrier
Some evidence
Petrolatum: 13 studies tested it directly. See all 22 studies
What the studies found
- Most studies found it helped the skin barrier
- It often lowered water loss and helped skin hold more moisture
- It helped damaged skin recover faster and protected skin from some irritants
- It improved dry, itchy skin in some studies, including in older adults and babies
- A few studies found no clear extra benefit over a control or another moisturizer
Eczema
Some evidence
Petrolatum: 6 studies tested it directly. See all 8 studies
What the studies found
- Most studies found petrolatum helped eczema or related skin changes
- Studies found it could lower how bad eczema was and reduce scaling
- It improved hand eczema symptoms, but was not better than another moisturizer
- It improved how much water the skin held, though another product worked better in some areas
- One study found another moisturizer helped eczema more than petrolatum
Research context, not treatment advice. Studies are about the ingredient, not necessarily this exact product.
Real Reddit threads — 15 mentions across 8 threads
Desitin Maximum Strength Original Diaper Rash Paste on Reddit, in one place — 8 threads from r/Rosacea, r/30PlusSkinCare and 2 more, summarized.
“we’ve tried timolol, metro gel, azelaic acid, clotrimazole, otc ivermectin, pyrithione zinc, desitin…”
Mentioned
“triple paste is popular, although I’ve used Desitin (do not recommend, it stinks).”
Cautionary
“Diaper rash cream as a face mask; triple paste is popular, although I’ve used Desitin (do not recommend, it stinks).”
Cautionary
“Apply a thick layer, leave it on for an hour or so, wipe off excess with damp washcloth.”
Cautionary
“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
