WILLEMSTAD – Consumers in Curaçao can pay dramatically different prices for the same personal-care product depending on which pharmacy they visit, with some items costing more than twice as much at one location as at another. An August 2026 price comparison by Fundashon pa Konsumidó shows differences exceeding 100 percent for several commonly purchased products.
The consumer organization compared prices for 81 products at 29 pharmacies across Curaçao. The list includes toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, deodorant, body lotion, shampoo, hair products, facial-care products and other personal-care items.
One of the most striking differences was found for Listerine Total Care mouthwash, 500 ml. The lowest recorded price was XCG 10.70, while the highest was XCG 29.20.
That is a difference of XCG 18.50, meaning the most expensive price was approximately 173 percent higher than the cheapest.
Listerine Cool Mint, also in a 500 ml bottle, showed a similarly large variation. Prices ranged from XCG 10.99 to XCG 25.40, a difference of XCG 14.41, or approximately 131 percent.
Large variations were not limited to mouthwash.
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Fragrance body lotion, 8.5 oz, ranged from XCG 10.70 to XCG 28.00. A consumer buying at the highest recorded price would therefore pay XCG 17.30 more, approximately 162 percent above the lowest price.
Florida Water in the 7.5 oz size ranged from XCG 9.24 to XCG 21.95. The XCG 12.71 difference means the highest price was approximately 138 percent above the lowest.
The comparison also found a substantial percentage difference for Dove Beauty Bar soap. Prices ranged from XCG 1.49 to XCG 3.75. Although the monetary difference was only XCG 2.26, the highest price was approximately 152 percent higher than the lowest.
Fa Caribbean Woman 48h Lemon deodorant ranged from XCG 3.04 to XCG 6.95, a difference of almost 129 percent.
For Dove Men Care Dry Spray Extra Fresh, the comparison found prices ranging from XCG 5.69 to XCG 12.05. That represents a difference of XCG 6.36, with the highest price more than double the lowest.
Even everyday toothpaste showed noticeable variations.
A 2.5 oz tube of Colgate Cavity Protection ranged from XCG 3.85 to XCG 6.80, while Sensodyne Fresh Mint, 113 grams, ranged from XCG 12.77 to XCG 16.50.
Some products, however, showed considerably smaller differences. Rexona Roll On Women 48h Bamboo, for example, ranged from XCG 5.32 to XCG 5.91, a difference of only XCG 0.59.
The findings demonstrate that there is no uniform price pattern across pharmacies and that comparison shopping can produce substantial savings, particularly for products with large price spreads.
The results should nevertheless be interpreted carefully. Not every product was available at every pharmacy when prices were collected. In some cases, a product was found at only a small number of locations, while others were widely available.
Fundashon pa Konsumidó also notes that its comparison does not take into account factors such as quality or country of origin.
For consumers, however, the figures show that checking prices before purchasing personal-care products can make a considerable difference. For some individual items, choosing the lowest recorded price instead of the highest could cut the purchase price by more than half.