Aquaphor's $12 Ointment Spray Is a Game-Changer for People With Skin Conditions Like Mine

Fun fact about yours truly: If I had to pick just one desert island product, it would hands-down be Aquaphor — no debate. Not mascara, lip balm, or even my ride-or-die concealer, but the thick, ultra-emollient ointment that's saved my ass (er, my skin) too many times to count.

Believe it or not, I've been using Aquaphor before I could walk, talk, or comprehend the fact that my sister and I don't have normal skin. We were born with a rare genetic skin condition, called Netherton Syndrome (characterized by red, scaly rashes and aggressive dryness), so when we were just wee little infants, my mom would coat our stressed-out skin in the soothing ointment to alleviate some of our discomfort.

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Growing up, I would slather it on my whole body before bed, desperate to lock in the moisture from my shower and wake up to supple skin. The latter rarely ever happened, save for a few lucky "good skin days," but what it did do was keep my epidermis in check — or rather, from completely falling apart. It was the only product that effectively soothed my chronically distressed skin, softening my sandpaper-like limbs and alleviating the raw areas that accumulated from scratching so much (FYI another super-fun component to our condition is severe itchiness.)

The one and only issue I ever had with my beloved Aquaphor is the greasiness factor. I was never (and still am not) a fan of feeling ultra-lubricated, but really, who is? That, plus the fact that the balm can take a hot second to sink in, making it more of a nighttime-only treatment. (I'm not about to head out during the day looking like a grease monster.)

That's why Aquaphor's innovative new spray formula, called Aquaphor Ointment Body Spray, is so major. It marries the efficacy of the OG ointment with the ease of a mist-on moisturizer. Genius. What's especially interesting about this new launch is that it's actually the exact same formula as the original, aside from propellant, which Teresa Weber, a spokesperson for the brand, says enables the product to disperse as a fine mist. "The propellant (butane) evaporates immediately, which is noticeable as a transient, cooling sensation," she explains. And she's right! As you spritz it on, it almost feels as if you're spraying on a sunscreen, without the infamous SPF smell, of course.

Once the mist is on the skin, though, it sinks in almost immediately, which needless to say, I couldn't be happier about. (Waiting around for hours for the ointment to fully absorb was never on my list of favorite activities.) Now, I can easily apply it to my whole bod, wait a few minutes, and get dressed without having to worry about messy, residual ointment getting on my clothes. Pretty damn game-changing, if you ask me.

This new formulation has been in the works for five full years, as Weber explains there were many trials along the way since the starting material is so thick. "We persisted in finding the right propellant, packaging components, and developed new manufacturing processes and equipment until we had just the right execution: a fine, continuous mist that met the consumers’ desire for a quick, easy, and less greasy application," she says. And well, I can tell you, Aquaphor hit the nail on the head.

Put it this way: I'll always have a soft spot for the OG ointment formula that got me through my formative years, but right now? Right now I can't imagine using anything else but this fine, fine mist. Get your own Aquaphor Ointment Body Spray for $11.99 per bottle at ulta.com.

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