Best Scar Cream in Australia: Which Silicone Gel to Choose
Quick summary
If you are shopping for a scar cream in Australia, almost every product you will find is a silicone gel, and the silicone itself is much the same from brand to brand. What separates them is tube size, what you pay per millilitre, how quickly it dries, and whether you will realistically keep applying it twice a day for three months.
At Genova Skincare we make one of these gels, so we have put ours in the table below next to eight others at their Australian prices, checked 16 September 2026. Per millilitre they range from about $1.20 to about $4.40, and the cheapest tube on the shelf is rarely the cheapest course.
Silicone is the most studied at-home option for scars, though the evidence is weaker than most marketing suggests. Nothing here removes a scar.
30ml, silicone with VANISTRYL peptide and Ecoskin Probiotic. Dries clear in about 30 seconds and sits under sunscreen or clothing. Made in Australia.
Scar cream or scar gel: which do you actually need after 45?
Most people search for a scar cream. Most of what Australian pharmacies sell under that heading is a silicone gel. The two words are used interchangeably on the shelf, and that is worth untangling before you spend anything.
A true cream is an oil and water emulsion that soaks in and moisturises. A silicone gel does the opposite: it dries into a thin film that stays on the surface and holds water in the skin underneath. Nearly all of the research people cite when they talk about scar creams is research on silicone, not on moisturisers.
Some products sold as scar creams contain onion extract or vitamin E instead of silicone. Those have thinner support behind them. At Genova Skincare, when a customer over 45 asks us which scar cream to buy, the honest answer is usually that she is looking for a silicone gel and does not know it yet.
What actually separates one silicone scar gel from another
Almost every scar gel sold in Australia works the same way. A thin silicone film sits on the skin, holds water in the upper layers and shields the scar while it remodels. It does not soak in, and it does not dissolve scar tissue. The film is the whole mechanism.
That is worth saying plainly, because it means the differences between brands are practical rather than chemical. The questions we get from women over 45 are almost always about the practical end: will it sit under makeup, how long will a tube last, and is the expensive one actually better.
A Cochrane review of silicone gel sheeting for hypertrophic and keloid scars found weak evidence of benefit, with most trials at high risk of bias. Mustoe, writing in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, describes hydration and occlusion as the plausible mechanism. So silicone is the best-supported thing you can buy without a prescription, and the honest framing is "reasonable evidence, modest effect", not "proven".
Skin also repairs more slowly as estrogen falls through perimenopause and menopause, which may be one reason a scar stays pink longer after 45 than you remember it doing at 25. That makes finishing the course matter more, not less.
Scar cream and gel prices in Australia, compared per millilitre
Shelf prices are misleading because tube sizes range from 10g to 40ml. Below is the same set of products normalised. Prices are Australian, checked 16 September 2026, and they move with promotions.
| Product | Size | Price | Per ml or g |
|---|---|---|---|
| DermaScar Classic | 15g | $17.95 | $1.20 |
| SCARmed Silicone Gel | 15g | $20.89 | $1.39 |
| Kelo-Cote | 15g | $23.49 | $1.57 |
| Genova Silicone Scar Gel | 30ml | $52.95 | $1.77 |
| Scarsil | 30ml | $69.47 | $2.32 |
| Dermatix Ultra | 15g | $36.99 | $2.47 |
| Dermal Therapy Silicone+ | 10g | $27.99 | $2.80 |
| Strataderm | 10g | $42.99 | $4.30 |
| NewGel+E | 15g | $66.00 | $4.40 |
Grams and millilitres are not identical, but silicone gels sit close enough to a density of one that the comparison holds.
Two things fall out of this table. The cheapest gel per millilitre is DermaScar, not ours. And the products that look affordable on a pharmacy shelf are often the most expensive to actually finish a course with, because the tube is small. A 10g tube of Strataderm at $42.99 is a smaller quantity than a 30ml tube at $52.95, for more money per millilitre.
Why the cost of finishing matters more than the shelf price
Silicone only does anything if it is on the scar twice a day, most days, for months. Most guidance sits at eight to twelve weeks as a minimum, and longer for a scar that is already mature.
A small tube covers a small scar for a few weeks. On a caesarean scar, a knee replacement scar or anything long, a 10g or 15g tube will run out well before the course does, and the real question becomes whether you will buy the next one. Plenty of people do not, which is the most common reason silicone gets written off as not working. So when you compare, work out the cost of three months on your scar, not the cost of one tube.
What to look for when buying a scar cream in Australia
- Silicone on the ingredients list. Whatever the front of the box calls it, check that dimethicone or another silicone is doing the work.
- Tube size against your scar. Match the quantity to the area and the length of the course, not to the price tag.
- Drying time. A gel that takes minutes to dry will not survive getting dressed. Around 30 seconds is what makes twice-daily use realistic.
- Whether it layers. If it will not sit under sunscreen or makeup, the morning application quietly stops happening.
- Silicone-only or silicone-plus. Some gels are pure silicone, others add actives. Neither is automatically better, but the added ingredients are where claims tend to outrun evidence.
- Availability. A product you can reorder easily is worth more than a marginally cheaper one you have to hunt for.
Realistic expectations
Most people who stay consistent look for a change at eight to twelve weeks. On a scar that is already years old, six months is a fairer horizon. What tends to shift first is texture and colour rather than the outline.
No silicone gel removes a scar, and results vary from person to person.
What a silicone gel cannot do
It cannot close a wound, and it should not go on one. It cannot flatten a keloid that is actively growing. It will not return skin to how it looked before, and anything promising that is overpromising.
It is also not the only option. Silicone sheets and tape do the same job in a different format and suit some scars better, particularly flat areas under clothing. For raised, painful or spreading scars, steroid injection, laser and surgical revision are what a dermatologist or plastic surgeon will discuss, and those are conversations worth having rather than working around.
Who silicone scar gel is not for
- Anyone with an open, weeping or unhealed incision. Wait until the skin has fully closed.
- Anyone with a known sensitivity to silicone.
- Anyone whose scar is growing, painful, hot or changing shape. See your GP first.
- Anyone wanting a visible change in a fortnight. It will not happen.
- Anyone who knows they will not apply it twice a day. Consistency is the whole thing.
Frequently asked questions about scar cream in Australia
Which scar cream is best in Australia?
There is no single best one, and nearly all of them are silicone gels. The silicone is comparable across brands, so the better question is which tube size and texture you will actually finish. Compare price per millilitre rather than shelf price.
What is the best cream for scar removal?
No cream removes a scar, and any product implying otherwise is overpromising. What a silicone gel may do is help a scar look flatter, paler and softer over months of consistent use.
Is a more expensive scar gel better?
Not reliably. In the table above the most expensive per millilitre is roughly three and a half times the cheapest, and the mechanism is the same. Pay for size and usability, not for the number on the box.
Can you buy silicone scar gel over the counter in Australia?
Yes. Silicone scar gels are cosmetic products and are sold in pharmacies, supermarkets and online without a prescription. A silicone scar gel needs no script.
Does silicone gel work on old scars?
It may still help a mature scar, though more slowly and less noticeably than on a recent one. Expect to give it longer, and expect the change to be in texture and colour rather than the outline.
How long do I need to use it?
Twice daily for eight to twelve weeks at minimum, and up to six months for an older scar. Buy enough to finish.
Choosing one and sticking with it
If you take one thing from the table, make it this: the gels are more alike than the pricing suggests, so pick on quantity and texture, then be boring about applying it. The people who see a difference are not the ones who bought the most expensive tube. They are the ones who were still using it in week ten.
If ours is the one that suits your scar
30ml, made in Australia, about $1.77 per millilitre. Enough to get properly into a course rather than running out in week three.
Genova Silicone Scar Gel
Silicone with VANISTRYL peptide and Ecoskin Probiotic. Dries clear in about 30 seconds.
12-Week Course (2 Pack)
Two 30ml tubes, about $1.58 per millilitre. Enough to finish the course without a reorder.
Made in Australia. Results vary from person to person.
Individual results vary. This is a cosmetic product, not a therapeutic treatment, and it does not remove scars. Prices listed were checked on 16 September 2026 and change with promotions and retailer. If your scar is growing, painful, itchy, changing colour or not closing as expected, speak to your GP, dermatologist or surgeon.
Sources:
- O'Brien L, Jones DJ. Silicone gel sheeting for preventing and treating hypertrophic and keloid scars. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013, Issue 9. CD003826.
- Mustoe TA. Evolution of silicone therapy and mechanism of action in scar management. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. 2008;32(1):82-92.
