The Holy Grail Hand Cream From the Viral Cicaplast Range Saved my Sensitive Hands
Image description: A close-up of a tube of La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Mains Barrier Repairing Cream standing upright on a smooth white surface. The white tube has a blue logo with black text, reading "La Roche-Posay Laboratoire Dermatologique." Below that, the product name "Cicaplast Mains" is highlighted in blue, with details about its ingredients: 4% Niacinamide and 30% Glycerin. The background is slightly blurred.
With all the unprecedented events occurring over the past few years (cough cough, sneeze, sneeze) and the recent winter season, my hands have been battered and dried from constantly hand washing and sanitising.
Add in a newly developed weight lifting routine to get back into a summer level of fitness, and you have dry, cracked and calloused hands.
Not. Comfortable.
Also, prime estate for manicurists to grab and gasp at the state of my hands before admonishing me for not looking after my hands.
I must admit, I’m normally a bit of a sucker for strongly scented hand creams.
Nothing more luxurious than popping on a hand cream and letting the scent waft over you… while you’re unable to do anything until it soaks in.
Great before bed, but with the amount of hand washing, phone touching and general things-to-get-done, that type of hand cream is not very practical and I end up rarely applying them during the day. Lovely to see in the handbag, not so useful while living life.
Enter, the Holy Grail of hand creams.
La Roche-Posay’s Cicaplast Mains Hand Barrier Cream.
Comes in 50ml and 100ml for your bag or nightstand. No scent, which helps the migraine-prone. Non-oily, non-sticky, quickly sinks in.
Importantly for me - I’ve discovered multiple uses which have saved space (and weight!) in my bag. I’ve used it as a face moisturiser, lip balm, foot balm and even to smooth over the ends of my hair.
The reason why it works for those other uses lies in its texture, which is an interesting one. While the product name says it’s a cream, it is much more of a balm texture much like Vaseline, but lighter and non-oily.
This texture is why I love it as a priming layer on my lips before dabbing a drier lip colour on top.
Image description: The tube of La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Mains Barrier Repairing Cream is lying on its side with its cap flipped open, revealing the cream’s dispenser. The clear plastic opening and the white cap are clearly visible, while the tube rests on a light-coloured surface. The background is slightly out of focus, showing some household items in soft focus.
Compared to every other hand cream that I’ve used before, La Roche-Posay’s offering sinks in the most quickly, and I’m back tapping away on my phone or picking up a book carefree within seconds.
With regular use, this has helped my chronically dry hands get to a supple and softer state. Let’s be real, life responsibilities will always win with the washing and sanitising, and I’m not here to tell you otherwise.
I think a manicurist will still cringe at the state of my cuticles (that’s another story!), but not having peeling fingers definitely helps the guilt when you’re at the nail salon!
Image description: A close-up shot of a person's hand, with a dollop of white cream spread on the palm. The hand is positioned against a light blue background. The person has neat, natural nails, and the creamy texture of the product is prominently shown.
On a side note, it contains 4% Niacinamide and 30% Glycerin, however it’s the former ingredient that is sometimes contentious in the beauty community.
Niacinamide is a powerhouse ingredient that helps fortify your skin’s barrier (hello, protected hands) but can also cause an allergic reaction in a cohort of people with allergic reactions to this ingredient.
It only takes a quick search on the r/AusSkincare or r/30PlusSkincare reddit threads to find countless individuals that suffer from this ingredient often being included in new or reformulated products to capitalise on the current trends.
Please do your due diligence on whether your skin can tolerate this ingredient in case you’re part of the cohort that doesn’t react well.
You can grab this lifesaver hand cream through local pharmacies or online at Adore Beauty.
Image description: A professionally staged image of the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Mains Barrier Repairing Cream. The product tube is displayed against a plain white background, standing upright with its cap at the bottom. The blue and black text on the front of the tube describes the product and highlights key ingredients, such as 4% Niacinamide and 30% Glycerin. The logo is clearly visible at the top.