Anhydrol Forte is the least-marketed clinical antiperspirant in the UK — and quietly the best value. It contains the same 20% aluminium chloride as Driclor, costs £4.69 for a 60ml bottle at Express Chemist, and since June 2026 it has been the product the NHS itself points to when a generic 20% solution is prescribed. If you have never heard of it, that is Dermal Laboratories' low-key marketing at work, not a reflection of the product.
This review is an editorial analysis of the licensed product information, NHS documentation and aggregated user experience — not sponsored content.
Disclosure: This site earns affiliate commissions from qualifying purchases. This does not affect our editorial independence or product rankings. See our disclaimer.
Product Overview
- Product: Anhydrol Forte 20% w/v Cutaneous Solution, 60ml roll-on
- Active ingredient: Aluminium chloride hexahydrate 20% w/v
- Manufacturer: Dermal Laboratories Ltd, Hitchin (the same UK company behind Doublebase and other dermatology staples)
- Legal status: P (Pharmacy medicine) — no prescription legally required
- Licensed for: Hyperhidrosis of the armpits, hands or feet
- Price: £4.69 inc VAT at Express Chemist at the time of writing (NHS list price £2.99 ex VAT)
The format is a clear, colourless solution that contains no fragrance, in an alcohol base that evaporates after application, leaving the aluminium salt in contact with the skin. The Anhydrol Forte roll-on solution works by blocking the sweat glands: the active ingredient reacts with moisture to form temporary plugs in the sweat ducts in the skin, so less fluid reaches the surface — and odour-causing bacteria get less moisture to feed on. It is a treatment designed for targeted relief: the licence deliberately restricts use to small areas of skin — armpits, hands and feet — so there are no detrimental effects from widespread obstruction of sweating.
Do You Need a Prescription?
No — and this is the most misunderstood thing about Anhydrol Forte. It is classified as a P medicine, not a POM (prescription-only medicine). That means any UK pharmacy can sell it under a pharmacist's supervision without a prescription.
In practice, to buy Anhydrol Forte online you complete a short questionnaire and the pharmacist approves the sale before dispatch. Express Chemist stocks it this way, as do many other UK online pharmacies. Some online prescriber sites route it through a paid "consultation" instead — that is their commercial model, not a legal requirement, and there is no reason to pay a consultation fee for a pharmacy medicine.
Your GP can also prescribe it. If your sweating is affecting daily life, our guide to hyperhidrosis treatment on the NHS explains what the NHS pathway looks like and where a 20% solution sits within it.
The June 2026 NHS Change: Anhydrol Forte Becomes the Reference Product
Here is the current angle most pharmacy product pages have not caught up with. On 1 June 2026, Haleon discontinued the 60ml pack of Driclor (the 20ml and 75ml sizes continue). The NHS Business Services Organisation confirmed in its June 2026 letter that prescriptions written generically for "aluminium chloride 20% solution, 60ml" now reference Anhydrol Forte as the fulfilling product.
In plain English: when a GP prescribes generic 20% aluminium chloride solution in the standard 60ml size, Anhydrol Forte is now the product the system expects you to receive. The quiet budget option has become the NHS default — a fairly strong endorsement of a bottle that costs less than a meal deal habit.
Anhydrol Forte vs Driclor
It is the question everyone shopping in this category asks, and the honest answer is: pharmacologically, there is almost nothing between them.
- Same active ingredient: both use aluminium chloride hexahydrate at 20%.
- The labelling nuance: Anhydrol Forte is measured as 20% w/v (weight per volume); Driclor as 20% w/w (weight per weight). This is a labelling convention, not a meaningful strength difference — both deliver the same active at essentially the same concentration.
- The price gap is the story: Anhydrol Forte's 60ml is £4.69. Driclor sells at around £6.99 for just 20ml and £12.50 for 75ml. Per millilitre, Anhydrol Forte costs roughly a third of what Driclor does.
So why does anyone buy Driclor? Brand recognition, wider high-street availability, and the handy 20ml travel size. If those matter to you, read our full Driclor review. If you want to see how the branded option stacks up against a gentler cosmetic rival, our Driclor vs Perspirex comparison covers that head-to-head. But if you simply want maximum-strength aluminium chloride at the lowest price, Anhydrol Forte is the rational choice — and now the NHS's choice too.
How to Use Anhydrol Forte
The official product information (SmPC) keeps the dosing simple: apply to the affected areas at night, as required, allow to dry, and wash off in the morning. The details around that instruction are what determine whether your first week is fine or miserable:
- Apply just before going to bed — sweat production is lowest while you are asleep, which gives the solution time to work within the sweat glands.
- Only ever apply to bone-dry skin — moisture on the skin reacts with the active ingredient and is the main cause of stinging. Do not bathe immediately before use.
- Wash the treated area thoroughly in the morning — then use your normal daytime antiperspirant or deodorant for odour control if you like.
- Never shave or use hair-removing preparations within 12 hours before or after applying to the armpits.
- Reduce frequency as things improve — the effect is long-lasting, so once sweating is under control most people maintain results applying on alternate nights (every two nights), then once or twice a week. Increase or decrease to suit your individual response.
- Wash your hands after applying — unless you are treating your hands, wash hands immediately and thoroughly after use so you do not transfer the solution to your eyes or face.
- Respect the housekeeping warnings — the solution may damage clothing (and can mark bed linen overnight), and the SmPC says to keep it away from jewellery, metal and polished surfaces. Storage is simple: replace the cap tightly after use, keep the bottle upright so tipping does not cause spillage, and store it in a dry place away from the eyes of curious children. If anyone swallows the solution, contact a doctor or hospital straight away.
Technique matters more than brand with aluminium chloride. The video below demonstrates the routine using Drysol — the US 20% aluminium chloride equivalent of Anhydrol Forte — and every step transfers directly to using Anhydrol Forte.
Side Effects and Irritation
At 20%, this is the strongest concentration in the UK clinical antiperspirant category, and side effects reflect that. Expect some stinging or itching in the first week, especially on the armpits. Redness usually settles within hours. The pattern reported across user reviews of every 20% product is the same: damp skin makes it dramatically worse, because the active reacts with water on the skin.
The SmPC is unusually direct on this: applied too frequently, Anhydrol Forte may cause irritation, which should be treated with a mild hydrocortisone cream — a pharmacist can advise you on that. The practical fixes:
- Dry the area completely (a cool hairdryer helps) before application
- Start on alternate nights rather than nightly
- Skip a night rather than pushing through significant skin irritation
- Wash off thoroughly each morning
Speak to your GP if irritation is severe or persistent, if you develop a rash beyond the treated area, or if sweating does not improve — our guide on when to see a doctor about sweating covers the red flags. Suspected side effects from any UK medicine can also be reported through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme, details of which are in the patient information leaflet inside the pack.
Who Should Choose Anhydrol Forte?
Choose it if:
- You want Driclor-strength results at roughly a third of the price
- Your GP has suggested a 20% aluminium chloride solution and you would rather get Anhydrol Forte over the counter than book an appointment
- You are treating hands or feet, where the 60ml bottle's economy matters over months of use
- You have already tried standard clinical antiperspirants from our strongest antiperspirants guide without enough effect
Skip it if:
- You have sensitive skin — a buffered cosmetic such as Perspirex is gentler, though weaker on paper
- You cannot tolerate any night-time routine (nothing in this category works applied in the morning)
- Topical 20% aluminium chloride has already failed for you — the next step is not another identical solution but the options in our prescription treatments guide, from iontophoresis to glycopyrronium and referral
For the full landscape of how these products work and where they fit, see our overview of clinical antiperspirants.
Verdict
Anhydrol Forte is the best-value clinical antiperspirant you can legally buy in the UK without a prescription. Identical strength to Driclor, a fraction of the cost, a proper UK medicines licence, and — as of June 2026 — the NHS's own reference product for generic 20% prescriptions. The trade-offs are real but modest: a harsh first week for some users, no-frills packaging, and near-zero brand presence, which is presumably why it stays this cheap.
It earns the strongest recommendation we give in this category: if you are going to try 20% aluminium chloride, start here and save the difference.
Rating: 8.5/10
Anhydrol Forte is available from Express Chemist and most UK online pharmacies (£4.69 at the time of writing). We have no affiliate relationship with any retailer for this product.