What to do when you accidentally recommend discontinued products

Recently, I raved and raved to the internet about DDF's Glycolic body lotion.

I raved in person about it, too. In fact, if you were my husband, you were subjected to an appalling amount of fan girl squeeing: This stuff is great! Seriously! My butt is so smooth, babies envy it! You should check it out! Um ... when we're not in public.

Almost delirious over how fabulous my skin felt, I went browsing on the internet looking for a good, possibly cheaper source of my new BFF--only to discover that it had been discontinued.

So then I went searching through various message boards looking for a  replacement. I heard about AmLactin, and the next time I was at Walfgreen's, I bought a big bottle of it.

It sounds good. It has AHAs. It's 12 percent lactic acid with a pH of 4.5 to 5.5. This means its claims to "exfoliate and smooth rough, dry skin" are probably accurate.

I've only tried it on my hands so far, and it doesn't feel as luxurious as DDF's Glycolic Body Lotion--which makes sense, because DDF's formula is packed with lots more skin-softening ingredients. I'm no Paula Begoun, and even I can tell the difference. (But this is serious cosmetics geekery, so I'm burying it in a footnote.)*

I'll let you know how it works out.  But I'm telling you one thing. The packaging is really bothering me. Compare the DDF I recommended

to AmLactin

The DDF bottle says spa, and luxurious but not flashy. The AmLactin bottle says doctor's office, and medicinal but not in a sexy nurse way.

Even if I fall in love with AmLactin, I'm planning to decant it into a better looking bottle. Because there's no way that bottle sends out a come-touch-me vibe. Even if it does leave me raving to my husband about the texture of my butt.

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* For my fellow cosmetics geeks--a comparison of DDF's and AmLactin's ingredients. First, DDF's Glycolic Lotion:

Water, glycolic acid, caprylic/capric triblyceride, (a fatty acid derived from coconuts) dimethicone, (skin protector) ethylhexyl palmitate, (skin smoothing wax) glyceryl stearate, (a combination of glycerin and fatty acid) propylene glycol, (attracts water) PEG-100 stearate,  c12-15 alkyl benzoate, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, ammonium hydroxide, sodium PCA, glycerin, lactic acid, triethanolamine, sorbitol, polyglyceryl-6 isostearate, polysorbate 60, tocopherol, retinyl palmitate, allantoin, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, methylparaben, cetearyl alcohol, ceteareth-20, borago officinalis seed oil, disodium edta, propylparaben, panthenol, phenoxyethanol, tocopheryl acetate, vitis vinifera seed extract, camellia oleifera leaf extract, milk protein, zinc glyconate, butylene glycol, sodium ascorbate, dmdm hydantoin, fragrance.

And AmLactin:

Water, lactic acid netralized with ammonium hydroxide, light mineral oil, glyceryl stearate, PEG-100 stearate, propylene glycol, glycerin, magnesium aluminum silicate, laureth-4, polyoxyl 40 stearate, cetyl alcohol, methylparaben, propylparaben, and methylcellulose.