Vitamins A & D Ointment vs Triple Antibiotic: Med Cart Guide
Vitamins A & D ointment vs triple antibiotic: skin protectant vs antimicrobial, packet counts, cost per use, and which to keep stocked.
Both of these sit in the same "topicals" bin on a med cart, both ship in single-use packets, and both get reordered by whoever last restocked the cart without checking why one is running low faster than the other. That's the problem: Vitamins A & D Ointment and Triple Antibiotic get treated as interchangeable topical ointments when they are not the same category of product at all. One is a skin protectant. The other is an antibiotic. Mixing up the reorder does not save money — it just means a resident's dry skin gets an antimicrobial it didn't need, or a scraped elbow gets a moisture barrier with no antibacterial coverage.
This guide compares the two SKUs we stock — SHL-MPR30452, Vitamins A & D Ointment, and SHL-MPR30253, Triple Antibiotic — plus where our third ointment, Bacitracin Zinc, fits into the same lineup. As always: which ointment goes on which resident is a clinical call. Our scope is what to keep on the cart, in what quantity, and why the per-packet cost differs.
The distinction that actually drives the order
Vitamins A & D Ointment (SHL-MPR30452) is not an antibiotic. It's a skin protectant enriched with Vitamins A and D, formulated to condition skin and create a moisture barrier. The catalog lists it for dry skin, diaper rash prevention, and routine topical protection — not for infection control. It comes 5 g per packet, packed 6/144 per case.
Triple Antibiotic (SHL-MPR30253) combines three antibiotics into a broad-spectrum topical intended to help prevent infection in minor cuts, scrapes, and burns. It comes 0.9 g per packet, packed 12/144 per case. Its closer cousin on our shelf is Bacitracin Zinc (SHL-MPR30352), the single-antibiotic version — also 0.9 g packets, also 12/144 per case, and already covered in our bacitracin vs triple antibiotic comparison.
The one-line version for a PAR review: Vitamins A & D protects intact or irritated skin; Triple Antibiotic treats a break in the skin. They are not substitutes for each other, and a facility that stocks only one is going to improvise on the other half of its topical needs.
Vitamins A & D vs Triple Antibiotic at a glance
| Spec | Vitamins A & D (SHL-MPR30452) | Triple Antibiotic (SHL-MPR30253) |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | Skin protectant | Topical antibiotic (broad-spectrum, 3 antibiotics) |
| Active ingredients | Vitamins A & D | Triple antibiotic formula |
| Use case | Dry skin, diaper rash prevention, routine skin protection | Minor cuts, scrapes, burns |
| Packet size | 5 g | 0.9 g |
| Case pack | 6 / 144 / case | 12 / 144 / case |
| Packets per case | 864 | 1,728 |
| Case price | $85.00 | $205.71 |
| Cost per packet | ~$0.098 | ~$0.119 |
| Latex free | Yes | Yes |
| Sterility | Topical / non-sterile | Topical / non-sterile |
Cost per application
At $85.00 a case, Vitamins A & D works out to roughly 9.8 cents per packet. Triple Antibiotic, at $205.71 a case, runs roughly 11.9 cents per packet — about 21% more per application. That gap tracks with what's in the tube: Triple Antibiotic is doing antimicrobial work with three active ingredients, while Vitamins A & D is a single-purpose barrier ointment.
Worth noting for anyone comparing all three ointments in the lineup: Bacitracin Zinc (SHL-MPR30352) prices out to about 9.8 cents per packet as well — the same per-unit cost as Vitamins A & D and cheaper than Triple Antibiotic, despite Bacitracin also being an antibiotic. If a resident's wound only needs single-antibiotic coverage rather than the broad-spectrum formula, Bacitracin is the lower-cost antimicrobial option between the two.
The packet-size difference also changes how far a case actually goes. A Vitamins A & D case carries fewer, larger packets (864 at 5 g each), while both antibiotic ointments carry more, smaller packets (1,728 at 0.9 g each) — double the packet count per case for close to double the applications. If your PAR count is set in "cases," not "packets," that difference alone can make Vitamins A & D look like it's moving faster than it actually is per-application, or vice versa for the antibiotics. Track packets, not cases, if you're trying to spot a real usage trend.
Three ointments, one topicals line
Since these two rarely get evaluated without the third SKU pulling into the conversation, here's the full topicals lineup side by side:
| SKU | Product | Type | Packet size | Case pack | Cost/packet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHL-MPR30452 | Vitamins A & D | Skin protectant | 5 g | 6/144 (864 packets) | ~$0.098 |
| SHL-MPR30352 | Bacitracin Zinc | Single-antibiotic | 0.9 g | 12/144 (1,728 packets) | ~$0.098 |
| SHL-MPR30253 | Triple Antibiotic | Broad-spectrum (3 antibiotics) | 0.9 g | 12/144 (1,728 packets) | ~$0.119 |
Read across that table and the ordering logic falls out on its own: Vitamins A & D is the non-antibiotic, everyday protectant; Bacitracin and Triple Antibiotic are both antimicrobials at the same packet size and case pack, differing only in spectrum and the roughly 2-cent-per-packet premium for the broader formula.
Why stocking only one creates a gap
Because these two ointments answer different clinical needs, running out of either one pushes staff toward using whatever is on the cart, whether or not it's the right fit. A resident with chronic dry skin or early skin breakdown does not need an antibiotic applied daily as a moisture barrier — that's an antimicrobial being used off-label as a lotion substitute, and it burns through your Triple Antibiotic stock for a job Vitamins A & D was built for at a lower per-packet cost. Conversely, an actual scrape or minor wound needs antimicrobial coverage that Vitamins A & D does not provide.
The practical fix is carrying both, sized to their actual use: Vitamins A & D for routine skin protection and diaper-rash-type prevention, and Triple Antibiotic (or Bacitracin, if single-antibiotic coverage is what the protocol calls for) reserved for actual breaks in the skin. Because Vitamins A & D is the higher-volume, lower-cost item on most med carts — skin protection needs come up more often than fresh wounds — it's usually the SKU worth keeping the deeper backstock of.
FAQ
Is Vitamins A & D Ointment an antibiotic? No. SHL-MPR30452 is a skin protectant enriched with Vitamins A and D. It has no antibacterial ingredients and is intended for dry skin, diaper rash prevention, and routine topical protection — not infection control.
What's the difference between Triple Antibiotic and Vitamins A & D Ointment? SHL-MPR30253 Triple Antibiotic combines three antibiotics for broad-spectrum protection on minor cuts, scrapes, and burns. SHL-MPR30452 Vitamins A & D has no antibiotic and is used as a moisture barrier and skin protectant instead.
Which is cheaper per packet, Vitamins A & D or Triple Antibiotic? Vitamins A & D runs about $0.098 per packet versus about $0.119 per packet for Triple Antibiotic — roughly 21% less per application.
How does Bacitracin Zinc compare to these two? SHL-MPR30352 Bacitracin Zinc is a single-antibiotic ointment, same 0.9 g packet and 12/144 case pack as Triple Antibiotic, but priced closer to Vitamins A & D at about $0.098 per packet. It's the lower-cost antimicrobial of the two antibiotic ointments. See our full bacitracin vs triple antibiotic comparison for that pairing.
Should a facility stock all three ointments? Most facilities end up needing both a protectant and an antimicrobial, since they cover different situations. Whether that antimicrobial is Bacitracin or Triple Antibiotic (or both) comes down to protocol and the spectrum of coverage the treating clinician wants on hand.
What size are the packets? Vitamins A & D ships in 5 g single-use packets, 864 to a case. Triple Antibiotic and Bacitracin Zinc both ship in 0.9 g single-use packets, 1,728 to a case.
Can Vitamins A & D be used on a wound instead of an antibiotic ointment? No. SHL-MPR30452 has no antibacterial ingredients. It's formulated as a skin protectant and moisture barrier, not for infection control, so it doesn't substitute for SHL-MPR30253 Triple Antibiotic or SHL-MPR30352 Bacitracin Zinc on an actual break in the skin.
Are all three ointments latex-free and single-use? Yes. Vitamins A & D, Triple Antibiotic, and Bacitracin Zinc are all latex-free, non-sterile topical ointments packaged in single-use packets for hygienic, one-time application.