Hello!
I've been dealing with my kid's atopic dermatitis since birth. The pediatricians just slap that diagnosis on anyone with skin allergies, but not everyone has the real deal. Unfortunately, my kid's skin is super sensitive and dry, and it's been like that for eight years now. I don't want to say it's forever, but it's definitely looking that way. As a parent, all I can do is provide the right care, which is key to keeping their skin healthy.
I've written a lot about how to wash and moisturize sensitive skin – it's about 90% of the battle. But there's always going to be those random factors that can trigger a flare-up, even with good care. We've been searching for a non-hormonal solution for eight years, and last year we finally found it – Neotanin.
We used to rely on Advantan and Comfoderm, and when a fungal infection came along, we'd add Pimafukort – all of which contain hormones. I won't go into the harm of long-term hormone use, especially for kids. Let's just say it's not easy to stop using them (we experienced withdrawal symptoms too).
Neotanin has been a lifesaver for my kid, and I even experienced the anti-itch effect myself once. But, as with any product, there are downsides...
I've always gone for the cream – it's got the lowest drying effect. If you've got weeping eczema, then the spray and lotion are the way to go – they really dry it out.
Cream for external use 'Neotani'General information:
Brand IntelBio
Manufactured in Russia
Volume 50ml
For adults and children 0+
Price 335 rubles
I always buy it at the Maxavit pharmacy chain
Indications for use are pretty broad:
Skin conditions accompanied by intense itching and irritation, and disruption to the skin's integrity. This includes:
Atopic, allergic, contact dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and other conditionsInfantile eczemaChickenpox, herpes, ringworm, and other conditionsFungal skin infections with erosions and cracksSuperficial pyodermaAll dermatoses accompanied by itching (since it contains polydocanol, which has an immediate anti-itch effect when applied to the skin)Sunburns and scaldsInsect bites
Packaging
Neotani is packaged in a box:
Cream for external use 'Neotanin'I was immediately drawn to the modern packaging. The first thing that caught my eye was the 0+ symbol and the circle with the note that it does not contain hormones. I'll have to take a closer look at each ingredient in the composition to fully understand what's going on.
Application area:
The back of the packaging has instructions for use:
Composition, storage conditions, and manufacturer:
It's recommended to store it at room temperature, but I keep it in the door of my fridge at +6 degrees Celsius.The manufacturing date and expiration date are printed on the box and on the seam of the tube:
Inside the box, there's an instruction manual:
Cream for External Use 'Neotani'
The tube itself is made of plastic, it bends well and returns to its original shape.
Cream for External Use 'Neotani' The cap had a protective foil on the nozzle:
The nozzle is small, but the cream is not too thick, so there's no problem with squeezing it out. The cap screws on tightly and is wide enough to stand the cream up vertically
Properties of Neotani Cream:
1 smell – medicinal, but mild and subtle, no fragrance
2 color – white
3 texture and consistency – pretty dense, but not greasy
4 absorption - absorbs pretty quickly, if you apply it thinly
5 drying effect – pretty strong, can dry out your skin and cause discomfort
Application
I'll start with my kid's recent dermatitis caused by wearing sneakers for too long in hot weather:
half a day in those sneakers and look at the result – our kid's atopic skin is super sensitive, so overheating, friction, and all that – instant dermatitis. On top of the inflammation, the kid was complaining about intense itching.Zud notin cleared up the itchiness right away, but the inflammation took its sweet time to heal. After three days, it started to look a lot better:
After a week:
after 1.5 weeks:
When I got an allergic reaction to the serum (which I'll write a review about), Neotani helped me within 2 days
I had a severe burning sensation and it was super itchy. Neotani got rid of the itch within 5 minutes.
The cream is super effective, but there's a huge catch and it's
the formula
The ingredients list is a long one, but I'm going to focus on the ones that got a 1 or 2 rating from the eco-test.
First up, we have cetostearyl alcohol (cetostearyl-20 and cetostearyl-12).
- emulsifiers, surfactants. High level of danger. Increases skin permeability. Can cause allergic reactions. May contain toxic impurities, such as 1,4-dioxane.
As you can see from the description, this isn't exactly the best ingredient in the cream, and we have two variations of it – cetostearyl-20 and cetostearyl-12, both in high positions in the composition (5th and 6th place).
Dimethicone is widely used in cosmetics, despite having a 2 rating from the eco-test. While it's not the best, it's not super hazardous either.
Sodium polyacrylate is another low-toxicity ingredient.
- stabilizes emulsion, thickener, moisture-retaining component, gelling agent, soothing agent, emulsifying agent, viscosity regulator.
Pollutes the environment (microplastic). Has low toxicity.
It's located at the end of the composition, which means its concentration is minimal.
The preservative Phenoxyethanol is a-
preservative. May cause allergic reactions and irritate the skin.
But there are two more ingredients that the eco-test didn't recognize.
Laureth-9
It's a pretty safe ingredient, but I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. It's an ethoxylated fatty alcohol, which is supposed to be soothing to the skin and has a local anesthetic effect.
And then there's Sodium phenol sulfonate or Sodium phenol sulfonate, but I couldn't find any information on it online. Compounds in the sulfonate category are typically used as surfactants in cleaning products, but I'm not sure if Sodium phenol sulfonate counts as one of those.
Overall, the ingredient list is a bit questionable, and a few of the ingredients could potentially cause an allergic reaction. Of course, it's all about individual tolerance, and my kid and I haven't had any issues with the cream, but I'm not entirely confident in the ingredients.
And to make matters worse, the actual active ingredients listed in the instructions – Polidocanol and Synthetic Tannin – aren't even included in the ingredient list. That's just confusing.
Polidocanol is a vasoconstrictor, which is pretty alarming to me.
It causes protein denaturation (it's a detergent), and if you inject it intravenously, it can damage the endothelium of blood vessels and lead to sclerotic changes (with the formation of a fibrotic scar) and the rapid formation of a thrombus.
The manufacturer claims that Polidocanol is used for its anti-itching properties.
The anti-itching effect of polidocanol develops quickly (within 5 minutes) and lasts for an average of 3-4 hours.
I've finally tried Taniin – the active ingredient that's supposed to mimic the effects of hormones.
When Taniin interacts with proteins, it forms a thin film on the skin, causing blood vessels to constrict, reducing fluid leakage, and decreasing skin permeability – all of which contribute to the anti-inflammatory effect.
What's great about Taniin is its safety profile – unlike hormone-based treatments, it's safe for use on children of any age, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.
Cream for external use "NeoTaniin"Verdict
NeoTaniin has genuinely helped me, and I've never had a negative reaction to it – neither my child, who has atopic dermatitis, nor I. I'm also glad it's made in Russia, which is a plus these days!
When comparing NeoTaniin to Advantan, it's clear that buying NeoTaniin is the better value. Advantan 15 grams costs around 600 rubles, while NeoTaniin 50 ml costs only 300-350 rubles.
NeoTaniin does a great job of relieving itching – I've tested it on myself. It works quickly, too – within 5-10 minutes. However, it doesn't quite match the speed of hormone-based creams in reducing inflammation. That being said, it might depend on the type of skin being treated – NeoTaniin worked for me in two days, while it took my child's atopic dermatitis a bit longer to respond, sometimes up to two weeks.
I dug into the ingredients and confirmed that there are no hormones in the cream, although it does contain some shady components.
I'm glad to report that the non-steroidal component doesn't cause addiction and there's no withdrawal syndrome, which is a major plus for us and further confirms that it's hormone-free.
+ it works
+ it instantly relieves the itch
+ no hormones
+ light texture
+ no addiction and no withdrawal syndrome
+ made in Russia
+ generous size
+ affordable price
+ suitable for use from birth
- it can dry out the skin (not always a good thing)
- while it does help, it takes a while to kick in (hormonal creams work much faster)
- there are some questionable ingredients in the formula
So, I'm giving it 4 stars and would definitely recommend it. Until I find a better product, I'll be sticking with this cream.
I hope my review was helpful!