The All Over Ointment jar (brand photo)
Bath & Changing · Check #282
Is the Tubby Todd All Over Ointment worth it?
Tubby Todd All Over Ointment
A real 1% colloidal oatmeal OTC skin protectant with a verified NEA listing and a non-greasy texture owners love — but it is a water-first cream with no petrolatum at $4.50/oz, ~4x Aquaphor and ~10x plain Vaseline, and its viral baby-acne, cradle-cap and “prevents eczema” claims sit outside its own Drug Facts label.
See current price ↗The pitch
1% colloidal oatmeal — an FDA-monograph skin protectant — in a plant-based, non-greasy cream, with a National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance listing and pediatrician/dermatologist testing
The catch
Water-first with zero petrolatum, so the occlusive barrier is weaker than Aquaphor or Vaseline at ~4–10x the per-ounce price; the label covers only minor irritation and itching due to eczema and rashes — baby acne, cradle cap and “prevention” are marketing, and the NEA seal is a suitability screen, not an endorsement
FSA/HSA
eligible as an OTC eczema treatment (plan rules vary; general moisturizer use may need a medical-necessity letter)
What it is
A rich, water-based cream-ointment from Tubby Todd Bath Co. — the brand’s flagship “balm for everything.” The current version is an FDA OTC monograph drug, not a plain cosmetic: its Drug Facts label (NDC 73088-302) lists colloidal oatmeal 1%, purpose “Skin Protectant.” That 1% was added to the original formula, which is still sold alongside it under nearly the same name with no oatmeal and no drug claims — an easy wrong-jar mistake. The full fragrance-free inactive list (beeswax, camellia leaf extract, caprylic/capric triglyceride, cetyl alcohol, cucumber extract, glycerin, jojoba esters, honeysuckle extracts, mango and avocado extracts, propanediol, saccharomyces ferment filtrate, stearic and stearyl alcohol, water) contains no petrolatum at all — it is a plant-oil-and-wax emulsion, not an occlusive ointment like Aquaphor (41% petrolatum) or Vaseline (100%). Sizes run from a 0.5 oz On-the-Go ($7.50 — $15.00/oz) to the 8 oz jar ($36.00, $4.50/oz); a Lavender + Rosemary version adds fragrance and lavender oils to the same base.
Claims vs. reality
The viral “miracle ointment” frame (eczema, baby acne, cradle cap): the lawful claim is far narrower. The DailyMed label’s entire use is “temporarily protects and helps relieve minor skin irritation and itching due to: eczema, rashes” — no treating, curing or preventing eczema, and no mention of baby acne or cradle cap. Yet the brand FAQ promotes it for cradle cap and diaper irritation, its landing page headlines “helps soothe + prevent eczema,” and its testimonial machine sells it hardest for baby acne, a use nowhere on the label. “FDA-approved 1% colloidal oatmeal”: misstated — OTC monograph products are marketed without individual FDA approval when they comply with Monograph M016; “FDA-monograph” is the accurate claim. The same FAQ calls the product “non-medicated” while it carries a Drug Facts panel. NEA Seal of Acceptance: verified, with limits. The product is listed in the National Eczema Association’s own directory, and the seal means a dermatologist/allergist panel screened the formula (fragrance-free, no excluded irritants/allergens, safety testing reviewed). NEA states acceptance is not an endorsement, and the seal is a suitability screen, not an efficacy trial — and its fragrance-free criterion can only cover the fragrance-free version, not the Lavender + Rosemary jar sold under the same name. Barrier performance: water-first with zero petrolatum cannot lay down petrolatum’s occlusive seal — owners praise “absorbs fast, not greasy” and, in the same pools, report it “did not seem to moisturize or last longer than any other product.”
Safety & recalls
No CPSC recall and no FDA recall or warning letter names Tubby Todd Bath Co. or All Over Ointment (checked Nov 1, 2026). Name-collision traps: the Feb 2026 CPSC recall of “Tubby Tots” bath sets is Surreal Brands, an unrelated company; a viral listicle claim of a Tubby Todd Dream Cream contamination recall has no FDA or CPSC record behind it. The brand’s one real regulatory record is a 2023 California Prop 65 settlement over DEHP in its vinyl travel bags — packaging, not this formula. The ointment’s own Drug Facts warnings are the verifiable substance: external use only; do not use near eyes; stop use and ask a doctor if the condition worsens or symptoms last more than 7 days; keep out of reach of children. A small minority of owners report redness, breakouts or reactions, and multiple Target reviewers report the jar’s inner foil seal shedding fragments — a repeated packaging pattern. Information only, not medical advice.
Real reviews — what owners say
Target rates it 4.5/5 across 9,643 ratings and 7,986 reviews — flagged: Target’s own summary notes the pool includes incentivized reviews, many are marked “collected as part of a promotion,” and a large share are syndicated from the brand’s site (which shows a curated 4.62/5 across 23,013). The praise pattern is specific: red cheeks and drool rash calming overnight, dry patches and mild eczema softer in 2–4 days, cradle cap softening, a thick texture that absorbs without grease and goes a long way. The complaints, in order: (1) no effect for a real minority — “no difference even after a few weeks” recurs, including owners who then needed a prescribed topical; (2) reactions — red spots, breakouts, facial acne/eczema made worse; (3) texture in use — hard to rub in, white overcast, can clog pores on faces; (4) the jar — half-filled-looking jars and the flimsy foil seal; (5) price — the most repeated reservation, including from fans. No independent lab test (BabyGearLab, Mommyhood101) was found. Owners corroborate a pleasant, gentle protectant cream — not a miracle.
Price & FSA/HSA
$36.00 for 8 oz at tubbytodd.com ($4.50/oz); $22.00 for 3.5 oz ($6.29/oz); Target matches at $35.99 / $21.99. The small sizes are punitive: 2 oz travel $14.00 ($7.00/oz), 0.5 oz $7.50 ($15.00/oz). Against the barrier staples: Aquaphor Healing Ointment 14 oz — $16.49 at Amazon per this library’s check #132, ≈$1.18/oz (41% petrolatum); Vaseline Original 13 oz — $5.99 at Target, $0.46/oz (100% petrolatum). The 8 oz Tubby Todd runs ≈3.8× Aquaphor and ≈9.8× plain petrolatum per ounce. The premium buys a 1% oatmeal active the petrolatums lack, no petrolatum or lanolin, and a texture owners prefer on faces — not a stronger label: all three are temporary-relief skin protectants, and the brand’s own estimate puts full-body daily use at one 8 oz jar every 4–8 weeks. FSA/HSA: the brand lists it as eligible, defensible for its drug use — OTC eczema treatments are an eligible category, no prescription needed — but general skincare moisturizers are not automatically eligible, and off-label cosmetic use is dual-purpose spending an administrator can require a Letter of Medical Necessity for. Plan rules vary; keep the receipt.
A real 1% colloidal oatmeal OTC skin protectant with a verified NEA listing and a non-greasy texture owners love — but it is a water-first cream with no petrolatum at $4.50/oz, ~4x Aquaphor and ~10x plain Vaseline, and its viral baby-acne, cradle-cap and “prevents eczema” claims sit outside its own Drug Facts label. Worth It If…
