Calamine is a mixture of
zinc oxideZinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the formula ZnO. It usually appears as a white powder, nearly insoluble in water. The powder is widely used as an additive into numerous materials and products including plastics, ceramics, glass, cement, rubber Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the...
(ZnO) with about 0.5%
iron(III) oxideIron oxide—also known as ferric oxide, ferric iron, hematite, red iron oxide, synthetic maghemite, colcothar, or simply rust—is one of the several oxide compounds of iron, and has paramagnetic properties...
(Fe
2O
3). It is the main ingredient in
calamine lotion and is used as an
antipruriticAntipruritics, also known as anti-itch drugs, are medications that inhibit the itching that is often associated with sunburns, allergic reactions, eczema, psoriasis, chickenpox, fungal infections, insect bites and stings like those from mosquitoes, fleas, and mites, and contact dermatitis and...
(anti-itching agent) to treat mild
pruritic conditionsItch is an unpleasant sensation that evokes the desire or reflex to scratch. Itch has resisted many attempts to classify it as any one type of sensory experience. Modern science has shown that itch has many similarities to pain, and while both are unpleasant sensory experiences, their behavioral...
such as
sunburnA sunburn is a burn to living tissue such as skin produced by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, commonly from the sun's rays.Usual mild symptoms in humans and animals are red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch, general fatigue, and mild dizziness. An excess of UV-radiation can be...
,
eczemaEczema is a disease in a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the epidermis. The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions. These include dryness and recurring skin rashes that are characterized by one or more of these symptoms: redness, skin edema , itching and...
,
rashA rash is a change of the skin which affects its color, appearance or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, dry, cracked or blistered, swell and may be painful. The causes, and therefore...
es,
poison ivyToxicodendron radicans is a plant in the family with 3 leaves Anacardiaceae. The name is sometimes spelled "Poison-ivy" in an attempt to indicate that the plant is not a true Ivy...
,
chickenpoxChickenpox or chicken pox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious illness caused by primary infection with varicella zoster virus...
, insect bites and stings. It is also used as a mild
antisepticAntiseptics are antimicrobial substances that are applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putrefaction...
to prevent infections that can be caused by scratching the affected area, and an
astringentAn astringent substance is a chemical that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. The word "astringent" derives from Latin adstringere, meaning "to bind fast"...
to dry weeping or oozing
blisterA blister is a small pocket of fluid within the upper layers of the skin, typically caused by forceful rubbing , burning, freezing, chemical exposure or infection. Most blisters are filled with a clear fluid called serum or plasma...
s and
acneAcne vulgaris is a common skin condition, caused by changes in pilosebaceous units, skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland, via androgen stimulation. It is characterized by noninflammatory follicular papules or comedones and by inflammatory papules,...
abscessAn abscess is a collection of pus that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue on the basis of an infectious process or other foreign materials...
es.
In a 1992 press release, the U.S.
Calamine is a mixture of
zinc oxideZinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the formula ZnO. It usually appears as a white powder, nearly insoluble in water. The powder is widely used as an additive into numerous materials and products including plastics, ceramics, glass, cement, rubber Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the...
(ZnO) with about 0.5%
iron(III) oxideIron oxide—also known as ferric oxide, ferric iron, hematite, red iron oxide, synthetic maghemite, colcothar, or simply rust—is one of the several oxide compounds of iron, and has paramagnetic properties...
(Fe
2O
3). It is the main ingredient in
calamine lotion and is used as an
antipruriticAntipruritics, also known as anti-itch drugs, are medications that inhibit the itching that is often associated with sunburns, allergic reactions, eczema, psoriasis, chickenpox, fungal infections, insect bites and stings like those from mosquitoes, fleas, and mites, and contact dermatitis and...
(anti-itching agent) to treat mild
pruritic conditionsItch is an unpleasant sensation that evokes the desire or reflex to scratch. Itch has resisted many attempts to classify it as any one type of sensory experience. Modern science has shown that itch has many similarities to pain, and while both are unpleasant sensory experiences, their behavioral...
such as
sunburnA sunburn is a burn to living tissue such as skin produced by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, commonly from the sun's rays.Usual mild symptoms in humans and animals are red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch, general fatigue, and mild dizziness. An excess of UV-radiation can be...
,
eczemaEczema is a disease in a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the epidermis. The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions. These include dryness and recurring skin rashes that are characterized by one or more of these symptoms: redness, skin edema , itching and...
,
rashA rash is a change of the skin which affects its color, appearance or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, dry, cracked or blistered, swell and may be painful. The causes, and therefore...
es,
poison ivyToxicodendron radicans is a plant in the family with 3 leaves Anacardiaceae. The name is sometimes spelled "Poison-ivy" in an attempt to indicate that the plant is not a true Ivy...
,
chickenpoxChickenpox or chicken pox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious illness caused by primary infection with varicella zoster virus...
, insect bites and stings. It is also used as a mild
antisepticAntiseptics are antimicrobial substances that are applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putrefaction...
to prevent infections that can be caused by scratching the affected area, and an
astringentAn astringent substance is a chemical that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. The word "astringent" derives from Latin adstringere, meaning "to bind fast"...
to dry weeping or oozing
blisterA blister is a small pocket of fluid within the upper layers of the skin, typically caused by forceful rubbing , burning, freezing, chemical exposure or infection. Most blisters are filled with a clear fluid called serum or plasma...
s and
acneAcne vulgaris is a common skin condition, caused by changes in pilosebaceous units, skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland, via androgen stimulation. It is characterized by noninflammatory follicular papules or comedones and by inflammatory papules,...
abscessAn abscess is a collection of pus that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue on the basis of an infectious process or other foreign materials...
es.
In a 1992 press release, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that no proof had been submitted showing the main ingredients in calamine (
zinc oxideZinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the formula ZnO. It usually appears as a white powder, nearly insoluble in water. The powder is widely used as an additive into numerous materials and products including plastics, ceramics, glass, cement, rubber Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the...
and
iron(III) oxideIron oxide—also known as ferric oxide, ferric iron, hematite, red iron oxide, synthetic maghemite, colcothar, or simply rust—is one of the several oxide compounds of iron, and has paramagnetic properties...
) to be safe for use or effective in treating bug bites, stings, and rashes from
poison ivyToxicodendron radicans is a plant in the family with 3 leaves Anacardiaceae. The name is sometimes spelled "Poison-ivy" in an attempt to indicate that the plant is not a true Ivy...
,
poison oakPoison oak may refer to:* Toxicodendron diversilobum, grows on West Coast of North America* Toxicodendron pubescens, grows in the Eastern United States...
, and
poison sumacPoison sumac is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 7 m tall. All parts of the plant contain a resin called urushiol that causes skin and mucous membrane irritation to humans...
. The press release listed a total of 415 OTC drug ingredients which the FDA proposed banning for specific uses which are as yet unproven.
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