Calamine is a combination of zinc oxide and 0.5% ferric oxide (Fe2O3). The lotion is produced with additional ingredients such as phenol and calcium hydroxide. The use of calamine lotion dates back as far as 1500 BC.
Who created calamine lotion?
Although calamine lotion has an undoubtedly long history, no one is actually sure where it came from or how it was invented. Legend has it that it started as a folk medicine. Zinc oxide ointment was mentioned by the Greek physician Dioscorides in the first century AD.
Does calamine lotion still exist?
Calamine lotion is a widely available OTC topical medication that can help relieve itching caused by minor skin irritations. It can also help dry out oozing and weeping from reactions to poisonous plants, such as poison oak, poison ivy, or poison sumac. Calamine lotion isn't a cure, but it can help relieve symptoms.
