Moisturisers (also called emollients) are recommended for the one in five children who have eczema (also known as atopic eczema/dermatitis), which causes dry and itchy skin.  Over 100 different moisturisers are prescribed in the NHS, costing over £100 million a year. Lack of research in this area means NHS guidelines vary widely in what is recommended, which leads to confusion and waste. 

Used alongside other eczema treatments, there was no difference in effectiveness of the four types of moisturiser used in the study.  Skin reactions such as itching or redness were common with all moisturiser types.  Awareness of the different types of moisturiser was low, and users had different preferences based on how the moisturisers look and feel. 

Read the full University of Bristol press release

Papers:

‘Effectiveness and safety of lotion, cream, gel, and ointment emollients for childhood eczema: a pragmatic, randomised, phase 4, superiority trial’ by M Ridd et al in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health [open access]

‘How parents and children evaluate emollients for childhood eczema: a qualitative study’ by Eileen Sutton, Alison RG Shaw, Matthew J Ridd, Miriam Santer, Amanda Roberts, Helen Baxter, Hywel C Williams and Jonathan Banks in British Journal of General Practice [online first]