Where can I find liquid baby powder?
June 29, 2012 11:17 AM Subscribe
Why is it so hard to find liquid baby powder?
So, for quite a while now, I have been a fan of liquid baby powder. I use it on myself (not for a baby) and it's a great product that helps alleviate and prevent discomfort in many circumstances, especially during the warm summer months.
This product has always seemed to be fairly difficult to locate in stores, however. Whenever I did find it, I typically bought the store's entire supply, which was never more than a few bottles. I started out using the Huggies brand liquid baby powder when it could be found in stores for $4-5 a bottle. Now, as that link shows, it's in extremely short supply and is going for $19.99 (and up). I then, through sheer luck, discovered that the Dollar Tree stores carried an Angel of Mine brand that was, you guessed it, only $1 a bottle and they had what seemed like an endless supply. Ok, I thought - problem solved! Not so fast. Now it seems Dollar Tree is no longer carrying this item (I cannot find it stocked in any of the local stores, and the customer comments on their site indicate that they have discontinued it) and people who did find it have turned to eBay to sell it at a massive mark-up. I have checked Target, Walmart, local drugstores, etc. and cannot find it anywhere.
Does anyone know why this stuff is so hard to find? Is there a reason why manufacturers are (apparently) no longer making it?
Also, does anyone know where I might be able to find it at a reasonable ($5 or less) price? Online is great, or anywhere in the Western WA area is good too.
(And yes, I'm aware of and have tried using good ol' baby powder. It's ok in a pinch, but it is more messy and is not as easy to thoroughly apply. It also tends to lose effectiveness more quickly, at least in my experience.)
I appreciate your help. Thanks!
So, for quite a while now, I have been a fan of liquid baby powder. I use it on myself (not for a baby) and it's a great product that helps alleviate and prevent discomfort in many circumstances, especially during the warm summer months.
This product has always seemed to be fairly difficult to locate in stores, however. Whenever I did find it, I typically bought the store's entire supply, which was never more than a few bottles. I started out using the Huggies brand liquid baby powder when it could be found in stores for $4-5 a bottle. Now, as that link shows, it's in extremely short supply and is going for $19.99 (and up). I then, through sheer luck, discovered that the Dollar Tree stores carried an Angel of Mine brand that was, you guessed it, only $1 a bottle and they had what seemed like an endless supply. Ok, I thought - problem solved! Not so fast. Now it seems Dollar Tree is no longer carrying this item (I cannot find it stocked in any of the local stores, and the customer comments on their site indicate that they have discontinued it) and people who did find it have turned to eBay to sell it at a massive mark-up. I have checked Target, Walmart, local drugstores, etc. and cannot find it anywhere.
Does anyone know why this stuff is so hard to find? Is there a reason why manufacturers are (apparently) no longer making it?
Also, does anyone know where I might be able to find it at a reasonable ($5 or less) price? Online is great, or anywhere in the Western WA area is good too.
(And yes, I'm aware of and have tried using good ol' baby powder. It's ok in a pinch, but it is more messy and is not as easy to thoroughly apply. It also tends to lose effectiveness more quickly, at least in my experience.)
I appreciate your help. Thanks!
Amazon has a couple of liquid-to-powder options; the most affordable are listed under "liquid foot powder" rather than liquid baby powder. Maybe the formulations are similar enough to work for you?
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:33 AM on June 29, 2012
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:33 AM on June 29, 2012
Carter's (the kids clothing brand) sells a liquid powder in store and online. Its $8, but always on sale. Right now its buy 2 get 1 free.link.
posted by saradarlin at 11:48 AM on June 29, 2012
posted by saradarlin at 11:48 AM on June 29, 2012
I don't want to sound indelicate here, but what are the demographics of your neighborhood? Have you tried shopping in an area that is predominately black? I did a few zipcode searches on the Walgreens thing insectosaurus linked to, and the liquid baby powder is in stock in the Walgreenses located in mostly black neighborhoods (and a few Latino). Not in stock in any of the whitebread Walgreens.
This happens a lot. Stores tend to stock things that sell. (Which is why I could find 100% cocoa butter in the Walgreens in my old neighborhood on the southside, but I've never seen it anywhere else.) If the majority of your customer base has never even heard of a particular product (I would have never guessed there were such a thing as liquid baby powder), they're probably not going to buy it.
This theory is supported by the happy little black babies on the packaging.
I'd try calling stores in different neighborhoods to see if they have any similar products in stock.
posted by phunniemee at 11:50 AM on June 29, 2012 [3 favorites]
This happens a lot. Stores tend to stock things that sell. (Which is why I could find 100% cocoa butter in the Walgreens in my old neighborhood on the southside, but I've never seen it anywhere else.) If the majority of your customer base has never even heard of a particular product (I would have never guessed there were such a thing as liquid baby powder), they're probably not going to buy it.
This theory is supported by the happy little black babies on the packaging.
I'd try calling stores in different neighborhoods to see if they have any similar products in stock.
posted by phunniemee at 11:50 AM on June 29, 2012 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for your responses so far, everyone.
I did check a Walgreens closest to where I live (located in a fairly diverse neighborhood) and they did not have the product. I'll keep looking.
posted by karizma at 12:58 PM on June 29, 2012
I did check a Walgreens closest to where I live (located in a fairly diverse neighborhood) and they did not have the product. I'll keep looking.
posted by karizma at 12:58 PM on June 29, 2012
I bought some quite a while back at Dollar Tree - it was "Breck for Baby" brand. Which has a page on amazon but is unavailable. Weirdly, when you search the site, it says it's unavailable. But when I googled the product, I got this page:
http://www.dollartree.com/9z-Breck-Liquid-Baby-Powder/p294647/index.pro
it tells you to enter a zip code to check for availability, but even with an account I couldn't figure out where to do that - but maybe with the sku/product number you could call the 800 number and see if it's available.
Or maybe try making some? Add cornstarch to a light lotion?
posted by lemniskate at 5:54 PM on June 29, 2012
http://www.dollartree.com/9z-Breck-Liquid-Baby-Powder/p294647/index.pro
it tells you to enter a zip code to check for availability, but even with an account I couldn't figure out where to do that - but maybe with the sku/product number you could call the 800 number and see if it's available.
Or maybe try making some? Add cornstarch to a light lotion?
posted by lemniskate at 5:54 PM on June 29, 2012
Monistat makes a powder gel (available in stores on the same aisle as other Monistat products, I think). I'm not sure if it's the same consistency as liquid baby powder, but depending on what you're using it for, it may work.
posted by kochenta at 10:48 AM on June 30, 2012
posted by kochenta at 10:48 AM on June 30, 2012
I don't know if you're still looking for this, but I saw liquid baby powder at the dollar tree dollar store again just the other day and remembered this question :)
posted by lemniskate at 10:18 AM on December 24, 2012
posted by lemniskate at 10:18 AM on December 24, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
Google also turned up this result; but I've never heard of the website before, so buyer beware of course.
posted by insectosaurus at 11:27 AM on June 29, 2012