Doesn't do what it says on the tin (tube) (Avent Silky Liquid Talc)

Member Name: chrisandmark

Product:	Avent Silky Liquid Talc
Date:	01/12/05 (1388 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Leaves skin feeling beautifully soft, delicious texture

Disadvantages: Don't listen to Boots staff - it's not suitable for eczema sufferers!

My daughter is prone to flare ups of eczema which means she needs to put talc on after she’s had her bath. The problem is when she has an eczema flare up it’s usually heralding an asthma attack. Asthma sufferers (and parents!) will know when an attack is approaching the dustiness of the talc is one thing guaranteed to bring on a major coughing fit.

Her usual Johnson’s Baby Powder is brilliant for soothing and drying out her weepy patches but I noticed the fine talc was making her wheeze. I needed *something* so off I toddled to Boots. Nothing jumped out to solve my problem in the talc aisle, so on a whim I popped across to the baby section to have a look what was on offer.

Avent Silky Liquid talc was recommended by a member of staff who advised me that this was completely dust free and suitable for allergy and asthma sufferers. Being a brand I’ve trusted since my kids’ were at the baby stage I thought I couldn’t go wrong.

The Silky Liquid claims to moisturise and absorb dampness which is precisely what Charlotte needs. It’s mild enough for me to use on her irritated skin and the dust free formula should prevent the coughing.

We’ll see, shall we? Bath time comes, Charlotte’s been coughing all day. How does Silky Liquid perform? The functional design of the tube and flip top lid performs perfectly, the Silky Liquid squeezes out smoothly and I can accurately control the amount I need.

The smell of Silky Liquid isn’t appealing, I think Charlotte summed it up well when she said it smells like the squashed up tablets she has to take for her asthma. It does, it smells like the hospital. Give me gorgeous smelling Johnson’s talc anyday. It doesn’t smell horrible, there’s just no prettiness to it – it smells functional.

The thin white lotion rubs in easily and a little goes a long way, don’t use too much as you’ll be left with the white streaks you get from using too much suntan lotion. I love the texture of Silky Liquid, when you’ve rubbed the lotion in well enough it’ll start to feel powdery and it leaves a gorgeous satin feel to your skin. It’s important that you’re more or less completely dry before applying Silky Liquid because if it hits a patch you’ve missed (usually the shoulder blades and lower back in my case!) it’ll simply go shiny and no amount of rubbing and massaging will encourage the lotion to absorb into your skin. I usually end up wiping these slimy areas off on a towel, which kinda defeats the object…

When used on dry skin the lotion feels silky and luxuriant. I can literally feel my skin being moisturised as the Silky Liquid is absorbed, and my body feels deliciously soft after the lotion has transformed into its powdery state.

However much I love Silky Liquid, let’s not forget it was originally bought for my nine year old eczema suffering asthmatic. She didn’t like it from the first sniff of Silky Liquid. It’s fair to say she hated it. She said the lotion felt too greasy for her, and although I’d say there is little greasiness when I used it don’t forget that lotions and creams will feel different on different peoples skin. The lotion definitely takes more rubbing before it’s absorbed into Charlotte’s skin, and she doesn’t seem to get the satin/powdery residue on her body.

I couldn’t actually say I could see any difference in the condition of her eczema. Her skin definitely felt beautifully soft in the areas which weren’t affected by the eczema, but let’s face it you don’t get much softer than a nine year olds skin! You can’t apply the lotion directly onto broken or irritated skin, and this coupled with the fact that Charlotte doesn’t seem to benefit makes me disinclined to buy again. I think it’s great as a general body lotion but won’t bother buying it just for me as there is better stuff available for the adults, however I would have continued using it had it become a necessary purchase for the kids.

The dust free formulation of Silky Liquid is a bit of a misnomer. This is basically a lotion which leaves your skin feeling like you’ve used talc. But it’s NOT talc so I wouldn’t expect dust anyway! Anyway, there’s no dust (huh!) and Charlotte didn’t cough.

Now, I usually pay around 85p for 200g Johnson’s Baby Powder which is clinically proven to be mild and really does help to dry the patches left by the kids’ attempting to dry themselves. On the other hand, Silky Liquid costs a whopping £3.99 for 125ml from Boots, Mothercare and such places.

Avent promote Silky Liquid as moisturising (it is), having the ability to absorb dampness (sort of) and clinically proven to be mild (so is Johnson’s).

A classic case of being pulled in by flashy claims on the packaging, at the end of the day this is a middle of the road product in an expensive tube.

Summary: A nice general body lotion, nothing special.