This cream is often prescribed for eczema sufferers and when my sister and I were still living with our parents there were tubs of this and E45 littering the house as my sister was prescribed both (along with Oilatum) for her eczema.

Aqueous cream is recommended by many doctors if you have eczema or other dry skin conditions not only as an emollient but as an alternative skin cleanser to soap.

My sister has often passed on a tub to me for general family use, as she doesn't feel it helps her eczema, in fact she found that it seemed to be aggravating it and has now started using other products which she buys herself and since then her eczema has improved (though by no means gone). This is an issue I will cover a little further in.

Our last tub of aqueous cream was Lloyd's pharmacies own brand, which has the same ingredients as most other aqueous creams these creams can be bought in pretty much every pharmacy and it is just the branding that changes. Ours is a big 5oogm white pot with LLoyds labels. It can also be bought in a 100 ml tube which is handy for carrying with you should you need to.

The cream is white and although light it feels a little heavier and dare I say more 'waxy' or greasy than E45. The cream spreads a long way but once spread out it takes quite a bit of rubbing in, as long as it's rubbed in thoroughly it seems to disappear well and any residue is not obvious. However I do find a problem if my skin becomes damp or wet within about half an hour to an hour of application. As despite appearances there is actually a slight barrier left on the skin whether you are aware of it or not. This can react with the moisture and become slippery and annoying and has to be wiped off (particularly if on the hands). This I'm sure is due to the fact that it can be used as a wash as well as a moisturiser. This residue is also in part why it is assumed to be suitable for eczema etc, sufferers. As their own skin barrier is compromised and this forms a protective moisturising layer on the skin in lieu of their own natural oils.

I'm not overly keen on the smell of this, it isn't perfumed but the smell is quite distinctive, not strong nor particularly horrible (it's just personal taste that I'm not keen on it) but if you've smelt it you would know what it was if you came across it again. Once applied though this smell doesn't linger nor interfere with any scented products you might chose to wear.

This cream shares some similarities with E45, but there are two main differences, E45 contains Lanolin which is an allergen for some, this doesn't. It does however contain Sodium Lauryl Sulphate which is a lathering agent and detergent, this is a known irritant for many people whether suffering from eczema or not. I think this is the main ingredient which allows the product to be used as a wash, but why on earth would it be included in a moisturiser? Personally I'd rather have two separate products. There are few other ingredients the main ones being liquid parafin and soft white paraffin.

I have used this a few times as a hand wash just to see how it worked and it forms a sort of milk/cream that doesn't seem to foam very much. I didn't like the texture, or smell of this and my hands didn't feel particularly clean or particularly moisturised afterwards. My sister who had to use either this or Oilatum as a wash all through her childhood hated it, and I have to admit this is the smell I associate with her as a child.

This cream is a superb protective moisturiser and many people swear by it, however it doesn't suit my skin terribly well. I didn't have a big reaction to this cream and on initial application it relieved dryness and made my skin feel soft and comfortable. However in the long term it dries my skin out leaving it feeling more uncomfortable and irritated than it would if I had not used the cream. I now realise that this is probably due to the lauryl sulfate I would not have an issue with this ingredient if it was being used simply as a wash off product as I use things containing this ingredient every day. It's the fact that this is rubbed into the skin and remains there that seems to be the issue for me. I could of course be wrong and it's something else that this contains that my skin is not keen on. If you want to read more on the negative effect this cream can have you could look here http://whatallergy.com/2011-06/aqueouscream, BootsMedWB have some good information on it but the url was too long to include, or just Google aqueous cream and lauryl sulfate, there are several articles on this issue.

This at time of writing costs a amazing £2.19 for 500gms.

I can't personally recommend this cream as I don't find it very effective for myself, the husband though finds it quite good. There are so many good reviews on this it clearly works very well for most people and is excellent value for money so well worth trying, so I feel a bit mean being negative about it and would love to love it as so many do. But I'm afraid I have to write as I find and for me and my eczema suffering sister this was a case of the emperors new clothes.