Newsweek and BrandSpark International Announce the 3rd annual list of Over-the-Counter Brands Most Trusted by American Pharmacists

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Jun 26, 2024, 09:30 ET

The 2024 BrandSpark/Newsweek Most Trusted by Pharmacists Awards surveyed 401 pharmacists across 36 over-the-counter product categories to identify the brands they trust the most.

NEW YORK, June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - BrandSpark International and Newsweek are pleased to unveil the 3^rd annual BrandSpark/Newsweek Most Trusted by Pharmacists Awards ("BMTPhA"). This year's Trust Study gathered the opinions of American Registered Healthcare Professionals actively practicing and licensed to provide OTC recommendations for maximum credibility. The study identified the most trusted brands across 36 over-the-counter product categories, growing BrandSpark's professional trust database and continuing to assist consumers in making informed shopping decisions.

Pharmacists have long been a reliable resource for consumers, offering guidance on both prescription medication and over-the-counter products. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association shows that 81% of adults use OTC medications as their first line of defense for minor ailments, and average 26 trips per year for these products, but they visit the doctor only three times in the same time span. This underscores the important role that pharmacists play in the OTC and Health purchasing experience. "This list addresses a market where consumers may feel less familiar and less confident, so offering trusted recommendations can help put them at ease during often stressful and unpleasant situations," explained Robert Levy, President of BrandSpark.

According to the BrandSpark American Shopper Study, mass retailers like Walmart and drug store chains such as Walgreens are among the most preferred channels for over-the-counter products. Additionally, there is a growing trend of consumers turning to online retailers for these needs. "We're witnessing an evolution in how consumers shop for these types of products" shared BrandSpark Associate Vice President, Adam Bellisario. "While consumers can speak directly to professionals at their local pharmacy, the BrandSpark/Newsweek Most Trusted by Pharmacists seal can be the voice of the Pharmacist when there may not be one available, like on e-commerce and in product advertising."

This year's study includes the following key segments of products: Children, Cough, Cold, & Flu, Diabetes, Ears & Eyes, Pain, Sexual Health, Skin, Stomach, and Supplements. The survey ranks up to the top three most trusted brands where there was sufficient trust share, providing consumers with a broader range of trusted options to choose from. In the 2024 list, BrandSpark introduced 24 new categories, reflective of the evolving landscape of the OTC health industry and the increasing importance of trust in these areas. New categories include Infant Pain and Fever Relief, Nerve Pain Relief, and Dehydration Relief.

Notable Trends from the 2024 BrandSpark/Newsweek Most Trusted by Pharmacists Awards:

Opill achieved the highest trust score in the study at 92%, with a 90% margin over the #2 ranked brand. This underscores its strong position as the first OTC birth control pill in the USA.
Cough, Cold, & Flu is the list's most competitive segment, featuring two three-way ties: Mucinex, Robitussin, and Tylenol tied for #2 in Cough, Cold & Flu Multisymptom Relief, and Hyland's Naturals, Sambucol, and Zicam tied for #2 in Homeopathic Cold & Flu Treatment.
This year's study included multiple Homeopathic Categories such as Homeopathic Cold & Flu Treatment and Homeopathic Topical Cream/Gel for Pain Relief, highlighting the variety of trusted options available for different consumer lifestyles.
Laxative brand Dulcolax ties with MiraLAX for Most Trusted Laxative brand. The two brands tied in 2022 and the former overtook the latter in 2023, highlighting the competitiveness of the category dominated by these two brands.

Newsweek is publishing these results to allow millions of Americans to leverage this list. Visit www.newsweek.com/rankings/most-trusted-pharmacists-otc-brands-america-2024 to see the ranking, and find it in the July 5^th, 2024 print edition of Newsweek Magazine.

The 2024 BrandSpark/Newsweek Most Trusted by Pharmacists Awards winners are listed below (brands in a tie are presented in alphabetical order and an asterisk beside a category indicates that it is new for the 2024 survey). See details at www.BrandSparkMostTrusted.com/usa and contact us for more information on any category.

Children
Category	Most Trusted Rank #1	Most Trusted Rank #2	Most Trusted Rank #3
Children's Cough & Cold Relief	Children's Dimetapp	Children's Robitussin	Mucinex Children's
Children's Immune System Support	Airborne	Emergen-C	Zarbee's
Children's Liquid Cough Suppressant	Children's Delsym	Children's Robitussin	Children's Dimetapp
Children's Pain & Fever Relief	Children's Tylenol	Children's Motrin
Children's Sleep Support	Zarbee's	Children's Benadryl
Infant Pain & Fever Relief	Infants' Tylenol	Infants' Motrin

Cough, Cold, & Flu
Category	Most Trusted Rank #1	Most Trusted Rank #2	Most Trusted Rank #3
Cold Shortener	Zicam	Cold-EEZE
Cough, Cold, & Flu Multisymptom Relief	Vicks DayQuil / NyQuil	Mucinex / Robitussin / Tylenol (3-way tie)
Cough, Cold, & Flu Multisymptom Relief for High Blood Pressure	Coricidin HBP
Homeopathic Cold & Flu Treatment	Boiron	Hyland's Naturals / Sambucol / Zicam (3-way tie)
Liquid Cough Suppressant	Delsym	Robitussin

Diabetes
Category	Most Trusted Rank #1	Most Trusted Rank #2	Most Trusted Rank #3
Continuous Glucose Monitor	FreeStyle Libre	Dexcom

Ears & Eyes
Category	Most Trusted Rank #1	Most Trusted Rank #2	Most Trusted Rank #3
Contact Lenses	Acuvue	Bausch + Lomb
Earache Relief	Similasan	Debrox / Hyland's Naturals (tie)
Eye Drops	Systane	Refresh / Visine (tie)

Miscellaneous
Category	Most Trusted Rank #1	Most Trusted Rank #2	Most Trusted Rank #3
Dehydration Relief	Pedialyte	Liquid I.V.	Gatorade
Sleep Aid	Unisom	Benadryl	Vicks ZzzQuil

Pain
Category	Most Trusted Rank #1	Most Trusted Rank #2	Most Trusted Rank #3
Homeopathic Topical Cream/Gel for Pain Relief	Arnicare
Leg Cramp Relief	Hyland's Naturals
Nerve Pain Relief	Nervive
Pain Relief Patch	Salonpas	Aspercreme

Sexual Health
Category	Most Trusted Rank #1	Most Trusted Rank #2	Most Trusted Rank #3
Emergency Contraceptive Pill (Morning After)	Plan B One-Step
Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill	Opill
Ovulation Test	Clearblue
Pregnancy Test	Clearblue / First Response (tie)		e.p.t

Skin
Category	Most Trusted Rank #1	Most Trusted Rank #2	Most Trusted Rank #3
Moisturizer for Itchy or Dry Skin	CeraVe	Aveeno / Eucerin (tie)
Scar & Stretch Mark Treatment	Mederma

Stomach
Category	Most Trusted Rank #1	Most Trusted Rank #2	Most Trusted Rank #3
Acid Reducer	Pepcid	Prilosec OTC
Heartburn Relief	Tums	Pepcid	Prilosec OTC
Laxative	Dulcolax / MiraLAX (tie)		Senokot
Nausea Treatment/Relief	Emetrol	Dramamine	Pepto-Bismol

Supplements
Category	Most Trusted Rank #1	Most Trusted Rank #2	Most Trusted Rank #3
Joint Health Supplement	Osteo Bi-Flex
Memory Support Supplement	Prevagen
Niacin Supplement	Nature Made	Nature's Bounty
Women's Probiotic Supplement	Culturelle Probiotics	Align Probiotics / Florajen (tie)

How winners are determined

401 pharmacists practicing in the United States determined the BrandSpark/Newsweek Most Trusted by Pharmacists Awards winners for 2024 through their unaided write-in citations, as if they were giving their suggestions in the pharmacy. The highest share of citations as Most Trusted in the category determined the winner, with other brands ranked based on share where at least 8% of citations was received. If the margin of citation share was less than 3% between brands, then a tie was declared.

About BrandSpark International and Best New Product Awards Inc.

Founded in 2001, BrandSpark International is an independent marketing research firm that combines omni-channel consumer insights with competitive context, providing insights that are actionable in the real world. BrandSpark helps clients refine brand positioning, build trust, and improve success with new product launches. As one of the research-backed, highly accredited awards programs run by Best New Product Awards Inc., the Newsweek/BrandSpark Most Trusted by Pharmacists Awards, now in its 3^rd year, is the only list of its kind in America which identifies the brands pharmacists trust most in over-the-counter product categories, as determined by American Pharmacists through their top-of-mind responses.

Permission and authorization from Best New Product Awards Inc. are required to reference the BrandSpark/Newsweek Most Trusted by Pharmacists Awards win or use the claim or logo in any communication.

For licensing inquiries, interview requests and complimentary insights from the study contact: Adam Bellisario, Associate Vice-President, BrandSpark Most Trusted & Best New Product Awards Inc. [email protected].

SOURCE BrandSpark International