What does it take for a beauty product to stay relevant for 90-plus years? Consider Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream a case study in the ‘It’ factor a beauty product needs to achieve that icon status. The apricot-hued salve has remained in the spotlight since its 1930 debut, buoyed by celebrity fans and adored by industry insiders for its limitless uses. A dab of Eight Hour Cream turns dry and ashy skin supple, smooths out split ends, and, according to one royal family member, can even cure frostbite.

Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Skin Cream earned its name when one of Arden’s clients claimed the cream made a noticeable improvement on her son’s grazed knee in — you guessed it — eight hours. The universal salve quickly took off for its skin-healing properties and its laundry list of uses, lauded by names fans along the way.

Fragrance

Tricia Butler Named Board Chair of The Fragrance Foundation

Celebrity News

The Cast of 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' Brought Glow and Glam to the London Movie Premiere

WWD Shop editors test and review Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream. Captured with the Leica Q3 Camera. WWD/ Adam Mansuroglu

Queen Elizabeth II was one of the iconic beauty product’s most ardent fans: So much so, that the brand was granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment, noting that the company is one of few to regularly supply goods to the royal family. As a medicine cabinet mainstay for the Windsors, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream was also used by Princess Diana and Prince Harry. Eight Hour Cream was mentioned in Prince Harry’s 2023 memoir “Spare,” where he describes using the product to heal frostbite, nothing that the smell “transported him in time” as if his mother was in the room.

While Elizabeth Arden has since expanded its Eight Hour line to include a lip balm, body oil, and body lotion, the original Eight Hour Cream remains the brand’s crown jewel, ranking with Chanel No. 5 perfume, Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, and Clinique Black Honey as one of the most iconic beauty products of all time. Our editors tested Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Skin Cream for a full year, applying it on everything from our hands to our hair.

Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream is featured in WWD’s curated Amazon Storefront for the Golden Globes that’s full of top skin care, makeup, and hair care products that draw inspiration from red carpet trends.

BROWSE WWD’S AMAZON GOLDEN GLOBES STOREFRONT SHOP NOW

Shop WWD’s Golden Globes Amazon Storefront of red carpet-inspired beauty finds, from skin care products for glowing skin to photo-ready makeup and hair styling tools that deliver Old Hollywood glamour.

How We Tested Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Skin Cream

Product tested: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream
Testing time period: One year
Number of testers: Two
Key ingredients: Petrolatum, lanolin, and vitamin E
Notable fans: Princess Diana, Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth, Zendaya, Reese Witherspoon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jenna Ortega, Victoria Beckham, and Cara Delevingne
Pros:
- Extremely versatile for use on face, hands, limbs, and as a hair styling product
- Delivers long-lasting moisture wherever it’s applied
- Great for treating ashy elbows and irritated skin
Cons:
- Heavily scented formula

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

$20 $29 31% off

Buy Now at amazon

Price upon publish date of this article: $20

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Skin Cream Ingredient Breakdown

Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream has a small-but-mighty ingredient list that includes proven skin softeners, hydrating ingredients, and surprisingly, salicylic acid. More on Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream ingredients and their benefits, below:

Petrolatum and lanolin: These occlusive ingredients are what make Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream excellent at moisture retention. They create a seal on the skin that prevents trans-epidermal water loss, also delivering emollient benefits to soften skin.
Castor seed oil: This plant-based oil is full of fatty acids and antioxidants. It’s known for its ability to help reduce inflammation and even fade dark spots with consistent use.
Vitamin E: A powerhouse ingredient for many skin concerns, vitamin E is excellent for hydrating the skin, preventing and treating stretch marks, and tamping down discoloration.
Salicylic acid: Found in many acne serums and acne spot treatments, salicylic acid is a top exfoliant that purges pores and detaches dull, dead skin cells.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Review — Editor Testing Notes

Petrolatum-based products like Vaseline and Aquaphor are essentials in my skin care routine; I’ll use them for post-sun care during the summer and windburned lips come winter. The beauty editor in me knows that the magic of these jellies is their ability to create an occlusive layer on the skin, sealing in existing moisture and calming irritation from dry, flaky skin. However these salves always feel more clinical than luxurious to use. Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Skin Cream, on the other hand, smells like roses, marries the benefits of petroleum jelly with more skin-softening ingredients, and delivers a soft, peachy tint to my lips and skin.

One of my favorite ways to use Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream is as an affordable alternative to an overnight cream face mask. When my skin is overly dry, I smooth on a hydrating face serum then apply a thick coat of Eight Hour Cream on top for a beauty sleep facial — trust me, your skin will look positively plumped and supple in the morning. For everyday use year-round, this salve is my go-to for my lips and cuticles. A tiny amount is all you need to revive dry, flaky lips, and it offers a velvety-soft texture and hydration that doesn’t quit for hours. I find that the peachy tint warms up my smile, too, making tinted lip gloss optional.

Yes, Eight Hour Cream is an essential skin care product, but I’m here to let you in on a little secret — it’s pure magic for hair, too. I have curly hair that errs on the dry, frizzy side, and I’m always looking for leave-in conditioners and masks that will smooth out my strands. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream is a great stand in for these pricey products; I’ll warm up a small dab in my hands and rake it through my mid-lengths to ends for added shine and moisture. When I slick my hair back or use a hair dryer brush or straightener, a tiny amount tames flyaways for good, too. Pro tip: Apply a bit of Eight Hour Cream to a small spoolie (they’re affordable to buy on Amazon), then use the wand to control any rogue hairs near your hairline and roots. You can do the same to tame eyebrows, too.

Considering the $29 price point and the fact that a pea-size amount is more than enough to coat lips with excess to pat on dry patches of skin elsewhere, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream is absolutely worth it.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

$20 $29 31% off

Buy Now at amazon

Price upon publish date of this article: $20

More Editor-Loved Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Products to Shop

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Lip Balm

Buy Now at amazon $20.30

This top lip balm boasts all of the benefits of Eight Hour Cream in a tube, with the added benefit of SPF 15.

Price upon publish date of this article: $20.30

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Intensive Moisturizing Body Treatment

Buy Now at amazon $32

Say goodbye to dry skin with Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour body lotion — the rich body butter has the same scent you know and love from the original cream.

Price upon publish date of this article: $32

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Intensive Moisturizing Hand Treatment

Buy Now at amazon $20

Keep this hand cream in your shoulder bag for non-greasy moisture when you need it.

Price upon publish date of this article: $20

Why Trust WWD

Since 1910, WWD — often referred to as “the fashion bible” — has been the leading industry voice of authority for senior executives in the global women’s and men’s fashion, retail and beauty communities, while also informing the consumer media that cover the market. Today, WWD’s breaking news and trend coverage continues to be a trustworthy resource for both fashion insiders and consumers alike. Our shopping editors continue to uphold WWD’s editorial standards and values with quality, expert-backed product selections. Learn more about us here.

Meet the Author

Claire Sullivan is the Senior Beauty and Lifestyle Commerce Editor for Footwear News and WWD, where she writes and edits beauty, fashion and lifestyle stories. She has over eight years of experience as a writer and editor for national media outlets including Martha Stewart Living, Martha Stewart Weddings, InStyle, and Byrdie. She keeps her finger on the pulse of all things related to beauty and wellness, as well as the latest shopping trends and clothing brands. Sullivan has tested Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream for over a year.

WWD Recommends

The RealReal Q3 Revenues Rise 19%
- Financial
- By
  
  Evan Clark

Most Popular

WWD

Get all the top news stories and alerts straight to your inbox.

Enter your Email

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Here’s Why the Royal Family-Approved Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Maintains Its Icon Status Today

Recent Articles by Claire Sullivan

Related Articles

How We Tested Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Skin Cream

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Skin Cream Ingredient Breakdown

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Review — Editor Testing Notes

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

More Editor-Loved Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Products to Shop

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Lip Balm

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Intensive Moisturizing Body Treatment

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Intensive Moisturizing Hand Treatment

Why Trust WWD

Meet the Author

Tags

WWD Recommends

Ferran Torres Talks World Cup and That Hat

Most Popular