Aveeno vs. St. Ives: Viewpoints Bloggers Test Lotions

CHICAGO, March 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Both St. Ives and Aveeno body lotions promise to calm dry, itchy skin. But in a winter comparison, the Viewpoints Blogger Reviews Panel preferred St. Ives to the more expensive Aveeno brand.

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The lotion showdown

In January, Viewpoints (www.viewpoints.com) provided eight female bloggers in the U.S and Canada with St. Ives Naturally Soothing Oatmeal & Shea Butter Body Lotion ($5.29, 21 oz.) and Aveeno Active Naturals Skin Relief 24hr Moisturizing Lotion ($9.27, 18 oz.). The women used the products for more than a month, evaluating scent, absorption and effectiveness.

Scent

The Aveeno lotion is fragrance-free, but Amy Bradley-Hole, from Little Rock, Ark., and blogger at FreakyPerfect, detected a smell that was "terrible, almost medicinal." The St. Ives fragrance got better feedback: "It had a faint smell of oatmeal and butter… a nice combination," said Sheila Hill, from Pleasant Point, NJ, at Pieces of a Mom.

Absorption  

Both Aveeno and St. Ives absorbed well. Sarah Mock, York, PA, writes at How I Pinch A Penny that St. Ives is now a "winter favorite." Randi Chapnik-Myers from Toronto, Ontario, and blogger at momfaze, on Aveeno: "My skin drank this stuff like water on a hot day. And it's cold outside."

Effectiveness

Which lotion was more soothing?  Kathy Zucker of Metro Moms Network in Hoboken, NJ says Aveeno "did an outstanding job on chapped hands." But St. Ives stole the show. ChaosChronicles blogger Lian Dolan of Pasadena, Calif.: "I was not that impressed to get a sample to try, but (St. Ives) is a sophisticated lotion that delivers." Mock also "highly recommends (St. Ives) to combat dry winter skin."

St. Ives is consumer favorite too

On Viewpoints, consumers rate both the Aveeno and St. Ives lotions higher than average, but the St. Ives (94/100) is slightly more popular than Aveeno (91/100).  "The bottom line is that unless you specifically need a fragrance-free lotion, you'll probably be quite happy with the St. Ives lotion. And you'll save money too," says Viewpoints Founder and CEO Matt Moog.

Viewpoints (http://www.viewpoints.com) features 475,000+ consumer reviews on 34,000+ everyday products for the home and garden, health, bath and beauty, babies and kids, plus money categories. Both reviews and ratings are available free of charge and without registration.

Contact: Carol Fowler 312-656-9727

SOURCE Viewpoints