In this post, I provide the facts on Hiruscar vs Mederma, including key ingredients, clinical studies, customer reviews, and my personal experience.
Overall, Hiruscar and Mederma are onion extract gels (allium cepa) that are suitable for "low risk scars" like kitchen burns, minor cuts & scrapes, and small bruises.
For high risk scars like hypertrophic scars, keloids, surgery /post-op, and acne scars, the gold standard is a silicone gel like Aroamas as it is safe and clinically proven.
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✅ Best For: Low Risk Scars
✅ Key Ingredient: Onion Extract
✅ Application: 2x Daily
⚠️ Clinical Evidence: Mixed
⚠️ Side Effects: Possible
✅ Reviews: 10+
✅ Price/Value: Very Good
✅ Best For: Low Risk Scars
✅ Key Ingredient: Onion Extract
✅ Application: 1x Daily
⚠️ Clinical Evidence: Mixed
❌ Side Effects: Itchiness, Redness
✅ Reviews: 16,000+
✅ Price/Value: Very Good
💡 Here's the key difference between Hiruscar and Mederma: While both are onion extract gels, Hiruscar has more ingredients like niacinamide (evens skin tone), aloe vera and vitamin E (soothing and conditioning), and mucopolysaccharide or MPS (reduces scarring) while Mederma only includes allantoin, panthenol, and hyaluronic acid.
Overall, I recommend using onion extract gels like Hiruscar and Mederma for low risk scars:
That's because the clinical evidence on onion extract is still mixed. 🤔 (As I'll explain later)
In particular, Hiruscar is primarily sold in Asia where it's distributed by Medinova (DKSH), a Swiss-based pharmaceuticals company. In Thailand, there's a silicone gel marketed under the Hiruscar brand as well called Hiruscar Silicone Pro.
Editor's Note: I've personally used Hiruscar Silicone Pro while visiting Thailand.
Mederma is actually widely available in most Western markets and internationally as well.
On the other hand, I recommend using silicone gels or silicone sheets for high risk scars:
That's because silicone is safe, supported by decades of clinical studies, and recommended by leading dermatologists in the International Clinical Recommendations on Scar Management.
P.S. I've personally tried almost every silicone gel on the market, including ScarAway, Kelo-Cote, NewGel+, Hiruscar, Strataderm, and Azally. Check out my full review here.
Best For:
❌ High Risk Scars
✅ Low Risk Scars
✅ Mild Burns
✅ Cuts & Scrapes
✅ Bruises
✅ Minor Injuries
Key Ingredients:
⭐ Onion Bulb Extract
⭐ Niacinamide
⭐ Aloe Vera
⭐ Allantoin
⭐ Vitamin E
⭐ Mucopolysaccharide (MPS)
Key Features:
👍 2x Daily Application
👍 Gel Texture
👍 Mild Fragrance
Are you looking for a Mederma alternative?
Hiruscar is a similar onion extract gel that's primarily marketed in Asia with a (seemingly) more extensive ingredient list.
Manufactured by Swiss-based Medinova (DKSH), Hiruscar combines onion extract (the key ingredient in Mederma as well) with a blend of niacinamide, aloe vera, allantoin, vitamin E, and mucopolysaccharide (MPS).
Based on my analysis, the main anti-scarring agents are onion extract and MPS.
However, the clinical evidence on onion extract for scar treatment is still mixed.
(for more details, read my review of Mederma below)
That's why I recommend onion extract gels like Hiruscar and Mederma on low risk scars only, such as mild burns, minor cuts & scrapes, small bruises, and injuries.
For high risk scars, your best option is a silicone gel like Aroamas as silicone is clinically proven for scar treatment and recommended by the international advisory panel on scar management. (source: Dermatologic Surgery, 2014)
Hiruscar is available at many pharmacies in Asia, such as Watsons, Boots, etc. while Mederma is available at most retailers, pharmacies, and online in most Western markets.
Finally, Hiruscar should be applied 2x a day while Mederma recommends only 1x a day. However, it's best to apply an onion extract gel at least twice daily for continuous coverage.
My Verdict: Hiruscar is a similar scar treatment product to Mederma that can be used to heal, soften, and prevent "low risk scars" such as burns, cuts & scrapes, and bruises.
Shop NowBest For:
❌ High Risk Scars
✅ Low Risk Scars
✅ Mild Burns
✅ Cuts & Scrapes
✅ Bruises
✅ Minor Injuries
Key Ingredients:
⭐ Onion Bulb Extract
⭐ Allantoin
⭐ Panthenol
⭐ Hyaluronic Acid
Key Features:
👍 1x Daily Application
👍 Gel Texture
👍 Mild Fragrance
🕓 4-8 Weeks (New Scars)
🕓 3-6 Months (Old Scars)
With 16,000+ reviews, there's definitely no question that Mederma is the most popular scar treatment (currently the #1 Bestseller in Scar Reducing Treatments).
But does Mederma really work on scars? 🤔
Before I provide you the answer, let me first tell you that I've personally used Mederma for 6+ months, reviewed the original clinical study in 2012 by Dr. Draelos, and consulted the medical literature on scar treatment.
In addition, I'd like you to keep in mind that everyone scars and heals differently, as genetics play a key role in how your body recovers from a wound.
For example, people with a family history of keloids are more likely to develop keloids themselves (1/3 of people with keloids have a first-degree relative with keloids).
In short, use Mederma on "low risk" scars only.
Low risk scars are defined in the International Clinical Recommendations on Scar Management as:
In other words, I recommend using Mederma for less serious wounds, such as mild burns, cuts & scrapes, bruises & accidents, and other minor injuries.
That's because the key ingredient in Mederma Advanced Scar Gel is onion bulb extract (a.k.a. Cepalin in Mederma's marketing materials and allium cepa in the ingredient list).
According to the 2014 International Clinical Recommendations on Scar Management (Part 2), a highly influential research paper authored by the world's leading experts on scar treatment, there's conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of onion extract for scars.
Some studies showed positive evidence, like the original clinical trial by Draelos et al. (2012) that was sponsored by Merz Pharmaceuticals (the parent company of Mederma).
In short, this study found a statistically significant difference in scar appearance between Mederma-treated scars (test group) and non-treated scars (control group) after 4-8 weeks.
However, there's a number of major flaws with this study:
Other studies found that onion extract was no better than similar topical treatments but resulted in more frequent side effects (itchiness, redness) that caused patients to stop using it. (source: International Wound Journal, 2021)
In addition, many studies used multiple active ingredients in their formulations which made it more difficult to isolate the effects of onion extract. (source: Dermatologic Surgery, 2014)
Finally, here's my personal opinion of Mederma Advanced Scar Gel based on 6+ months of using it on my chest keloids:
My Verdict: Taking into account the key ingredients, clinical studies, and my own experience, I recommend Mederma Advanced Scar Gel for low risk scars as the medical evidence is mixed. Mederma may help minimize scars from minor injuries and accelerate the recovery process.
For high risk scars, however, I recommend using a silicone gel or silicone sheet because it's safe (no side effects), clinically proven for scar treatment, and reasonably affordable.
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