U.S. News 2025-2026 Best Over-the Counter Medicine and Health Products: Our Experts Name the Top Brands

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This compilation of expert-recommended over-the-counter medicines and personal care products will make your next trip to the pharmacy easier.


From antiperspirants, antacids and allergy medicines to wrinkle creams and zinc supplements, many products you use every day come from your local pharmacy or the pharmacy section of your supermarket.

As self-care and preventative health care grow, so have the variety of these personal care products and over-the-counter medicines. This includes new products such as natural sleep remedies and weight loss supplements. Consumers are also looking for prescription-free relief from common health ailments, such as dry eyes, leading to more choices than ever when it comes to over-the-counter medications.

But OTC medicine and health products are not all created equal. The Food and Drug Administration regulates the safety and effectiveness of OTC drugs like heartburn medicine, but it doesn’t tell you which heartburn remedies work better than others. Additionally, the FDA does not regulate many OTC products – such as vitamins, protein powders and other dietary supplements – the same way it regulates drugs.

Helping You Choose the Best OTC Product for You

The 2025-2026 Best OTC Medicine & Health Products is here to help you make sense of the crowded pharmacy shelves so you can find the products that support your wellness and self-care needs.
We evaluated more than 1,100 products across 133 categories, allowing you to find the best cold medicines, headache relief, vitamins, face washes, moisturizers and more. Consumers choosing an OTC medicine or health product that is right for them should consult a doctor, pharmacist or other health professional.

There are 12 new categories for 2025-2026:

Our Methodology

The Best OTC Medicine & Health Products is based on the reviews of nearly 500 independent pharmacists and dermatologists.

U.S. News partnered with The Harris Poll, a global market research and consulting firm with more than 65 years of experience conducting surveys. For the 2025 rankings, The Harris Poll randomly assigned 133 over-the-counter categories of health or personal care products to 357 pharmacists and 134 dermatologists who practice in the U.S. and asked them to rank their top three brands for each category based on what products they would most recommend to consumers.

Independence and transparency

Across the 133 categories that were evaluated, each category included between five and 10 products representing their respective brands that could be ranked. More than 1,100 products were included in the survey. The products included in each category were selected to represent their respective brands based on input by several independent pharmacists and dermatologists on our Medical Review Board. The list of products were finalized by the health editorial team to ensure all products can be purchased without a prescription and are readily available at most pharmacies or pharmacy sections of grocery stores in the U.S.

We independently evaluate the products we recommend. Brands do not pay to be included or ranked in our survey. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. The dermatologists and pharmacists who participated in the survey were paid a small honorarium by The Harris Poll for their time.

OTC winners

Pharmacists and dermatologists selected their top three brands in each OTC category assigned to them. At least 112 dermatologists evaluated each skincare-related category and at least 108 pharmacists evaluated each of the other categories. For each evaluation, the top-ranked brand received 5 points, the second-place brand was awarded 3 points and the third-place brand earned 1 point. All unranked brands were given 0 points. Points were averaged for each brand. The results were then rescaled so the winner in each category scored 100 points, and the scores for other brands were expressed as percentages of the top score. Brands were then ranked according to their rescaled scores. Scores were rounded to the nearest whole number.

Category winners and brands that scored within the margin of error of the category winner and achieved a score of 80 or higher were given a Gold Badge in that category. For 2025-2026, 196 products received a Gold Badge, and 849 products in total are displayed. Brands that received a score of less than 10 were not included in the final display list.

Source: https://health.usnews.com/otc/articles/pharmacists-picks-otc-medicine-health-products

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