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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this takes the piss?!

33 replies

Coppercreek · 10/02/2021 07:53

So long story short I've got thrush! Went to trsco during the weekly shop. Saw a canestan label and bought it.

Upon getting it home it turns out I bought the cream for athletes foot!! I somehow looked past the little foot symbol on it. So in a phone call to my mum I was laughing about how silly I had been.

She then tells me I can use it anyway. The ingredients are the same... this led me to having a nosy online and finding that the cream for athletes foot is half the price per 100ml than the cream for thrush despite being the same cream.

AIBU to think it'd taking the piss out of women? Considering thrush it mainly a women's problem.

To think this takes the piss?!
To think this takes the piss?!
OP posts:
ThursdayLastWeek · 10/02/2021 07:55

From that label I can see there is more active ingredient in the thrush cream - I guess that could account for it?

But I also wouldn’t have been surprised to see that exactly the same product would have two price points.

YouCantBeSadHoldingACupcake · 10/02/2021 07:57

The thrush cream is a slightly bigger tube and has twice the active ingredient, that's why it costs more. Nothing to do with thrush being a woman's problem

Grooticle · 10/02/2021 08:15

The thrush cream is much stronger, that’s why it costs more.

Bowlerhats · 10/02/2021 08:20

It’s double the strength isn’t it? For double the price per 100g.

suspiria777 · 10/02/2021 08:29

The ingredients are the same...

The ingredients are the same in a vodka soda and a double vodka on the rocks...

wellthatsunusual · 10/02/2021 08:32

It's stronger cream, so in this case I can understand the difference.

The real piss takers are brands like Nurofen who sell their product for ten times the price of the generic unbranded version and have managed to convince people it works better even though it's the same product.

suspiria777 · 10/02/2021 08:41

The real piss takers are brands like Nurofen who sell their product for ten times the price of the generic unbranded version and have managed to convince people it works better even though it's the same product.

Actually for a lot of people, because of the placebo effect, branded medication does work slightly better than generic. (To be clear, this is not because of any intrinsic difference in the medication but because of the labelling.)

See pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26462056/

JorisBonson · 10/02/2021 08:44

That's interesting @suspiria777! DH infuriates me because he will only ever buy Nurofen and the like, while I will only buy 20p boxes from Savers

SmileyClare · 10/02/2021 08:50

I made this mistake too and went back to the pharmacy with my athlete's foot cream, only to be told I could use it for thrush. This conversation was held in front of a queue and was all a bit embarrassing!

I used it and it worked. I see your point Op, why can't the cheaper athlete's foot cream be labelled as a treatment for mild to moderate thrush? It works fine and women could use it as an affordable alternative.

wifterwafter · 10/02/2021 09:10

I did this too but in my defence I was on holiday in France and just saw the red and white carton. Used it for a few days and then saw a tiny picture of the foot in the corner of the carton. Suffice to say I still laugh about fannyfoot now!!

wellthatsunusual · 10/02/2021 09:15

[quote suspiria777]The real piss takers are brands like Nurofen who sell their product for ten times the price of the generic unbranded version and have managed to convince people it works better even though it's the same product.

Actually for a lot of people, because of the placebo effect, branded medication does work slightly better than generic. (To be clear, this is not because of any intrinsic difference in the medication but because of the labelling.)

See pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26462056/[/quote]
Yeah, I've read about that. But that's sort of what I meant. They have spent so much in marketing that they have successfully changed people's brain reaction (or whatever the technical term is!) to their product in order to create a demand for their brand. I think that's not very ethical really.

honeylulu · 10/02/2021 09:19

If you have just a mild case you can use the foot cream. Maybe they should market it as "hoof and foof".

Nutrigrainygoodness · 10/02/2021 09:24

@honeylulu 😂😂 please can I have a box of your finest hoof and foof.

Hahaha88 · 10/02/2021 09:24

@honeylulu

If you have just a mild case you can use the foot cream. Maybe they should market it as "hoof and foof".
Omg I almost spat out my tea Grin
OnceUponAThread · 10/02/2021 09:33

@honeylulu

If you have just a mild case you can use the foot cream. Maybe they should market it as "hoof and foof".
Amazing. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
LApprentiSorcier · 10/02/2021 09:34

Hoof and foof Grin

Ihopeyourcakeisshit · 10/02/2021 09:37

Hoof and Foof, I hear Dragon's Den calling with that one.

Zakana · 10/02/2021 09:52

@honeylulu

If you have just a mild case you can use the foot cream. Maybe they should market it as "hoof and foof".
Mumsnet, we have a winner! Absolutely priceless!
ThereWillBeSun · 10/02/2021 10:10

Have you checked the other ingredients?

ToffeePennie · 10/02/2021 10:44

Believe it or not, as a Foot Health Practitioner, I get thrush under my boobs a lot, so I drop Mykored on them. it’s cheaper for me so I don’t have any issues using it (wouldn’t put it near my vagina though)

HardcoreParkour · 10/02/2021 10:57

The main ingredient in Canesten is Clotrimazole. You can buy a tube of it from the chemist for £2/£2.50.

CandidaAlbicans2 · 10/02/2021 16:19

@HardcoreParkour

The main ingredient in Canesten is Clotrimazole. You can buy a tube of it from the chemist for £2/£2.50.
Exactly. I used to get the unbranded as was often less than half the price of Canestan. I've just looked online and both of these are marketed for all external fungal infections, including thrush:

Canesten clotrimazole 1% cream 20g - £4.99.
Unbranded, same strength and amount - £1.99 (or £2.99 for 50g)!

As with most things, you're paying for the marketing of branded items. Same with painkillers.

CandidaAlbicans2 · 10/02/2021 16:21

@honeylulu

If you have just a mild case you can use the foot cream. Maybe they should market it as "hoof and foof".
😂 yeah, but you'd only be able to buy it at Mole Valley Farmers shops, in the pig-keeping section
KatyClaire · 10/02/2021 16:22

@honeylulu 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

DPotter · 10/02/2021 16:25

Could be another example of the 'Pink Tax'...........

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