Emollient Skin Products

Frequently Asked Questions

What are emollient skin products?

They are moisturisers which may contain paraffin, shea or cocoa butter, beeswax, lanolin, nut oil or mineral oils and they work by covering the skin with a protective film or barrier which keeps the moisture in.

Are emollients only prescribed by doctors?

Emollients are commonly prescribed by GPs, nurses and other clinicians over long periods of time to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and sores. Many of these products can also be purchased over the counter in chemists and supermarkets.

Are they safe to use?

Yes they are. We encourage their use as recommended by medical professionals and the manufacturer’s instructions.

Are they flammable?

Not in isolation. If you put a match to a sample of emollient skin product it would not ignite.

Why should I be concerned?

Regular use of emollient products, over a number of days, can lead to them soaking into your clothing, bedding and bandages/dressings. This residue dries within the fabric.

If you then introduce an ignition or heat source, you can cause a fire to develop, which will burn intensely and spread rapidly. This could lead to a serious injury or death. Nationally, there have been at least 56 deaths associated with emollient skin products within the last 10 years.

Examples of ignition include:

• dropping a cigarette, lit match or lighter
• sitting too near to a gas, halogen or open fire
• catching your clothing on a hob when cooking

How can I stay safe?

• Never smoke in bed
• Do not smoke if there is any chance your clothing or dressings could be contaminated with emollients
• Do not cook if there is any chance your clothing or dressings could be contaminated with emollients
• Do not sit too close to any open fires, gas fires or halogen heaters
• Wash your clothing and bedding daily at the highest temperature recommended by the fabric care instructions. This should reduce some of the contamination but may not remove it completely

What can I do to make sure my friends and family are safe?

Share this information with them so that they are also aware of the potential risks.

Information for health and care professionals

We know that emollient skin products are safe to use but they can soak into clothing, dressings and bedding, leaving a flammable residue. If exposed to a naked flame or a heat source, such as a cigarette, lighter, gas cooker, heater or fire, these dried fabrics can catch fire. The emollient residue will help the fire develop and spread rapidly which could result in serious injury or death.

If you work in health or social care, you might find the following FAQ section helpful.

Health and Care FAQs

Pharmacy Settings

• Ask your customers what their smoking status is when dispensing or selling emollient skin products
• Talk to them about the potential fire risks of using these products, especially if they are smoking, cooking or likely to be near to an open flame
• Record any advice you have given on their Patient Medication Record, remembering to communicate this to them at regular intervals
• Take care not to cover up the flammability warning on products which have them
• Refer people back to their GP if they smoke and/or have a condition which places them at high risk of fire such as memory loss, poor concentration or drowsiness
• Share this information with your colleagues and teams

Hospital Settings

• Patients should be given information that includes advice about the potential fire risks of smoking, or exposure to any open flame or other potential cause of ignition during treatment
• Fire safety information should be displayed prominently in every ward area where patients may be treated with significant quantities of emollient products
• If a patient intends to go off the ward to smoke, they should be informed of the risk and advised to wear a thick outer covering that has not been contaminated with emollients
• Relatives or carers should be informed if a patient does not comply with safety advice and instructions during treatment involving significant quantities of emollients

Community Settings

• Consider the smoking status of your patients before commencing treatment
• Patients and clients should be given information that includes advice about the potential fire risks of smoking, or exposure to any open flame or other potential cause of ignition during treatment
• This information should be given on the first occasion that such treatment is prescribed or applied by a healthcare professional and a record kept confirming that the advice has been given. Regular checks should be made to make sure the advice has been given and understood
• Patients and their families should be provided with safety advice about regularly changing clothing or bedding saturated with emollient products (preferably on a daily basis), as the emollient soaks into the fabrics and can be a potential fire hazard. Chairs or seating may also have the potential to become contaminated. Please note that regularly washing fabrics will reduce the contamination but may not totally remove it
• Encourage your patients to share the advice they have been given with their friends and family
• Inform the GP if your patient has a previous history of smoking and is displaying memory issues and/or confusion
• Record the advice you have given in your patient's care plan
• Share this information with your colleagues and teams

GP Settings

• Consider the smoking status of your patients before commencing treatment
• Patients should be given information that includes advice about the potential fire risks of smoking and their exposure to any open flame or other potential cause of ignition such as cooking if there is any possibility of their clothing, bandages or bedding being contaminated with these products
• This information should be given on the first occasion that these products are prescribed and a record kept confirming that advice has been given
• Review your patient’s use of emollient skin products if they have a previous history of smoking and are displaying memory issues and/or confusion
• Consider alternative treatments where people smoke and/or have a condition which places them at high risk of fire such as memory loss, poor concentration or drowsiness
• Display and disseminate appropriate information to your patients
• Encourage your patients to share this advice with their family
• Share this information with your colleagues and teams