Gotucream is a skincare product that the brand describes as an “incredible herbal skin healer.” The brand claims that their cream contains ingredients proven in clinical studies to reduce pain, inflammation and scarring of the skin.
But does Gotucream contain research-backed ingredients for supporting skin health, or are these just marketing claims? Does the brand use any questionable additive ingredients? How do real users rate and describe the effects of Gotucream? And does the product really provide "results within hours" like the company suggests?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Gotucream based on clinical studies to give our take on whether or not the product is likely to support optimal skin health, or if it's a waste of money.
We'll highlight some questionable health and media claims on the brand's website, feature unsponsored Gotucream customer reviews, and explain where to buy this cream.
Ingredient Analysis
At the time of updating this article, the Gotucream website features six ingredients: gotu kola, aloe vera, tea tree oil, neem, cedarwood and grapeseed oil.
However, it's unclear whether this is the full ingredient list or if there are inactive ingredients that Gotucream is failing to publish. We urge the brand to clarify this, because a full ingredient list is imperative for consumer safety.
Gotu kola is an effective topical skin healer, as a 2013 medical review documented that "it can be used in the treatment of photoaging skin, cellulite and striae."
Aloe vera is a well-studied and effective anti-inflammatory ingredient.
A meta-study published in the Italian Journal of Dermatology and Venereology found that topical aloe vera was effective for treating a wide range of inflammatory, bacterial and viral skin conditions including seborrheic dermatitis and wounds.
Tea tree oil is another efficacious ingredient choice for an anti-inflammatory skincare product.
As we documented in our Zo Skin Health reviews article, clinical studies show that tea tree oil, when properly diluted, is a powerful antibacterial agent that can treat acne and skin lesions. The concentration of tea tree oil is not currently published on the Gotucream website, and we urge the brand to publish this information.
Neem has the potential to be effective for a range of skin conditions due primarily to its immunomodulatory and antioxidant effects, according to a 2021 medical review.
Cedarwood is a strange way to list an ingredient, because we can only identify medical studies on cedarwood essential oil.
It’s unclear based on Gotucream’s website whether they are using cedarwood essential oil or some other cedarwood-based plant material here, and we urge the brand to clarify.
Grapeseed oil is a nutrient-rich botanical ingredient that’s effective for improving skin quality and reducing inflammatory skin conditions.
As we discussed at length in our Maelys reviews article, clinical research has shown that grapeseed oil reduces sebum (oil) production, reduces pore size and reduces redness when topically applied.
Overall, we find Gotucream to be well-formulated for promoting skin healing.
Most of the active ingredients have clinical research backing and anti-inflammatory properties, so we consider the brand’s claims about their cream reducing inflammation and scarring likely to be accurate.
We do not currently recommend this product overall, because it’s unclear to us if there are additional ingredients in this formulation.
Gotucream fails to publish a plain-text ingredient list on their product page with all active and inactive ingredients, and we urge the brand to clarify if these six ingredients are truly the full set of ingredients, or just a selection of highlighted active ingredients.
The Gotucream website, accessible here, appears to be the only official retailer of this product, and one bottle is currently retailing for $58.
Questionable Media Appearances Section
At the time of writing this article, there is a banner on Gotucream’s website titled “As seen on” with the logos of various major media enterprises: NBC, FOX, CW, CBS and ABC.
This suggests that the brand has been featured on these platforms, but the brand fails to provide any evidence of such. We searched “Gotucream” on each one of these brand’s websites and found zero results.
We consider this to be a serious red flag about the ethics and professionalism of this brand, and we urge the brand to either provide proof that their product has been featured on these platforms or remove this section. At this point, we do not believe these claims.
There is also a section on Gotucream’s site suggesting that users “ask about Gotucream” at major chains like Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens.
Gotucream is not available online at any of these stores (we searched their websites) at the time of updating this article, and again we find this to be a highly questionable marketing practice because it implies that their products are sold at these major retailers.
If Gotucream is available in store at these retailers, the company should clearly state that, but we haven't come across any evidence of that either.
Questionable Health Claims on Brand Website
Gotucream’s site claims that their cream causes skin to “remarkably improve within just hours.” There is no citation for this claim.
We have not seen any evidence that any single herbal ingredient can cause remarkable skin improvements within just hours, and Gotucream doesn't appear to be clincially tested, so we don't understand how the brand can make such a specific health claim.
Their site also claims that Gotucream is “for all severities of problems” and is “formulated to bring relief to even the worst effected skin.”
This is an unsafe health claim, and is again uncited. Third-degree burn victims should not be using Gotucream. It’s dangerous for skincare brands that have not been clinically proven to work to claim that their products are effective for serious skin conditions or disorders, and we suggest that the brand remove this claim.
We recommend that consumers exercise caution when considering brands that make bold and unproven health claims.
Real People Try Gotucream
A TikTok creator named "AprilMay" explains why she started using Gotucream, and suggests in the comments that the treatment has been effective for her:
@april_may76 #head #foculitis #headissues #bumps #aloevera #2023 #healing #razersharpbumps ♬ original sound - AprilMay 💙💫
A TikTok creator named "beefinspector" claims to have had a positive experience with Gotucream:
@beefinspector Literally a life saver I almost cried seeing how clear my butt is for the first time in YEARS, its called Gotucream #folliculitus #dermatology #skinissues ♬ original sound - Beefinspector
Our Clean Skincare Picks
There are skincare products containing ingredients shown in clinical trials to be effective for reducing wrinkles and improving skin quality.
Annie Mak Vitamin C Serum is our top anti-aging serum.
It contains hyaluronic acid which was described as a "skin-rejuvenating biomedicine" in a medical review due to its ability to reduce wrinkles and signs of facial aging.
Ritual HyaCera is our top skin supplement.
It contains wheat oil extract which is clinically shown to "improve skin damages induced by aging."
Both of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Pros and Cons of Gotucream
Here are the pros and cons of Gotucream in our opinion:
Pros:
- Active ingredients have research backing
- May support skin healing
- May improve skin quality overall
- Active ingredients are botanically-derived
- Free shipping on brand's website
Cons:
- Brand makes questionable and unproven health claims
- Brand makes questionable and unproven media claims
- Doesn't appear clinically tested
- Brand fails to publish essential oil concentrations
- Brand fails to document if cedarwood essential oil is used
- Hard to find unsponsored customer reviews
