Hair removal cream that actually removes hair

Nair Aloe & Water Lily Hair Removal Cream has the best record: 20 of 25 reviewers said it removed the hair and left skin smooth, though a smaller group weighed in than on Veet or Flamingo. Veet Aloe Vera Gel Cream Hair Remover and Flamingo Body Hair Removal Cream each sit at 24 of 36, and Nair Coconut Oil Hair Removal Cream has the weakest record here at 10 of 34. People tend to write when a cream disappoints them, so read these shares as a comparison between creams and not as a promise.

  • 196 store reviews counted
  • Target shoppers
  • May 2023 to Sep 2026

Updated . How we count

Did it remove the hair? What shoppers said
  1. Nair Aloe & Water Lily Hair Removal Cream 25 said either way
  2. Veet Aloe Vera Gel Cream Hair Remover 36 said either way
  3. Flamingo Body Hair Removal Cream 36 said either way
  4. Nair Cocoa Butter Hair Removal Cream 26 said either way
  5. Nair Coconut Oil Hair Removal Cream 34 said either way

Share of reviewers who stated an outcome for hair removal. Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% confidence interval, so a product needs both a good share and enough reports to rank high.

Nair Aloe & Water Lily Hair Removal Cream Best record Nair Aloe & Water Lily Hair Removal Cream 20 of 25 say it removed the hair and left skin smooth See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

Burning or stinging comes up in 54% of reviews for Nair Aloe & Water Lily Hair Removal Cream and 48% for Nair Cocoa Butter Hair Removal Cream, against 12% for Flamingo Body Hair Removal Cream. Flamingo and Veet get marked down for hair left behind instead, in 40% and 35% of their reviews.

The ranking, product by product

Praise and complaints are the points reviewers repeat most, shown as a share of each product's counted store reviews.

1 Nair Aloe & Water Lily Hair Removal Cream

Nair

Aloe & Water Lily Hair Removal Cream

20/25 say it removed the hair and left skin smooth

Reviewers like the results: 51% say it removed the hair and 30% mention smooth skin. The catch is comfort, with 54% saying it burned or stung and 35% mentioning redness or irritation. Fewer reviewers gave a clear verdict on this cream than on Veet or Flamingo, so its record rests on a smaller group.

What buyers praise

  • Easy to use 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Burned or stung 54%
  • Redness or irritation 35%
  • Strong smell 19%
  • Too expensive 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 20 of 25
  • Brand site 3 of 4 shown, not counted
2

Veet

Aloe Vera Gel Cream Hair Remover

24/36 say it removed the hair and left skin smooth

A mixed record. 52% say it removed the hair, while 35% say it left hair behind. Some like the scent, with 18% calling it mild, and 10% call it good value. Redness or irritation comes up in 12%.

What buyers praise

  • Mild smell 18%
  • Good value 10%
  • Easy to use 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Strong smell 13%
  • Redness or irritation 13%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 24 of 36
3 Flamingo Body Hair Removal Cream

Flamingo

Body Hair Removal Cream

24/36 say it removed the hair and left skin smooth

55% say it removed the hair and 20% call it easy to use. Complaints are split between hair left behind (40%) and a strong smell (28%), though 22% call the smell mild. Burning or stinging comes up in 12%.

What buyers praise

  • Mild smell 23%
  • Easy to use 20%
  • Good value 5%
  • Works fast 5%

What buyers complain about

  • Strong smell 28%
  • Burned or stung 13%
  • Redness or irritation 10%
  • Messy 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 24 of 36
4

Nair

Cocoa Butter Hair Removal Cream

15/26 say it removed the hair and left skin smooth

Burning or stinging is the main complaint, at 48%, followed by 32% for redness or irritation and 30% for a strong smell. Where it worked, reviewers praised the hair coming off (40%) and smooth skin (15%).

What buyers praise

  • Mild smell 10%

What buyers complain about

  • Burned or stung 48%
  • Redness or irritation 33%
  • Strong smell 30%
  • Messy 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 15 of 26
  • Brand site 2 of 2 shown, not counted

Share of 40 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

5

Nair

Coconut Oil Hair Removal Cream

10/34 say it removed the hair and left skin smooth

Hair left behind is the story here. 24 of 34 reviewers said it left hair behind, missed patches or didn't work, and 28% also mention burning or stinging. Reviews copied from Nair's own site are no kinder at 1 of 6, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Mild smell 5%
  • Works fast 5%

What buyers complain about

  • Burned or stung 28%
  • Strong smell 21%
  • Redness or irritation 13%
  • Messy 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 10 of 34
  • Brand site 1 of 6 shown, not counted

Share of 39 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

Where these numbers come from

The 5 products ranked here carry 1,192 reviews at Target. We read the newest reviews of each product (up to a thousand per listing), kept the ones that talk about hair removal, and counted up to 40 per product, posted between May 2023 and Sep 2026.

A review counts only when the reviewer used the product themselves. We drop reviews written in exchange for a free product or a sweepstakes entry (0 on this page), and products that are no longer sold.

Target also shows reviews first posted on brands' own websites. We show them on product cards but never count them, because brand-site reviews run more positive than store reviews of the same products.

Because we searched for the problem, people who had it are overrepresented. Compare products with each other rather than reading a share as your own odds.

Skin type, skin tone and age splits use what reviewers chose on Sephora's review form (and age on Ulta's when given). We only show a split when enough reviewers fall on each side.

Amazon buttons appear only on products that most reviewers here say fix the problem (at least 60%, with enough reviews to trust it). Everything else gets no buy link.

An AI model labels each review against a fixed list of points, and we spot-check the labels before publishing. We publish counts, never the reviews themselves.

Read the full method

Product pages we read

  1. Nair Aloe & Water Lily Hair Removal Cream Target (37 reviews counted)
  2. Veet Aloe Vera Gel Cream Hair Remover Target (40 reviews counted)
  3. Flamingo Body Hair Removal Cream Target (40 reviews counted)
  4. Nair Cocoa Butter Hair Removal Cream Target (40 reviews counted)
  5. Nair Coconut Oil Hair Removal Cream Target (39 reviews counted)

Questions buyers ask

Which hair removal cream actually removes the hair?

Nair Aloe & Water Lily Hair Removal Cream has the best record (20 of 25), followed by Veet Aloe Vera Gel Cream Hair Remover and Flamingo Body Hair Removal Cream, which both sit at 24 of 36.

Is Veet or Nair better at removing hair?

It depends on the Nair formula. Nair Aloe & Water Lily Hair Removal Cream has the best record here (20 of 25), ahead of Veet Aloe Vera Gel Cream Hair Remover (24 of 36). The other two Nair creams do worse, with Nair Cocoa Butter Hair Removal Cream at 15 of 26 and Nair Coconut Oil Hair Removal Cream at 10 of 34.

Do hair removal creams burn?

Reviewers mention it a lot for the Nair creams: 54% of reviews for Nair Aloe & Water Lily Hair Removal Cream and 48% for Nair Cocoa Butter Hair Removal Cream say it burned or stung. Do the patch test the label asks for before you use any of these creams on a larger area.

Do I need a patch test before using hair removal cream?

Yes, do the patch test the label asks for first. Then follow the timing on the box, and don't use hair removal cream on broken, sunburned or irritated skin.

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HiveTried earns a commission when you buy through the "See price & reviews on Amazon" buttons. It never changes the ranking: the order comes from buyer reports only, and a product gets an Amazon button only when buyers here say it works.