All moisturisers are now a fire risk?

[DaffyBloom]

Is anyone else freaked out that apparently they've now discovered that all skin creams, body lotions, etc, make your clothes highly flammable? A few years back they just blamed paraffin-based creams, but now it's literally everything - even products with shea butter, natural oils, etc.

All the warnings focus on patients with skin conditions (which is fair enough, they are heavy users of moisturisers), but surely this is a wider problem? There doesn't seem to be any awareness/discussion in the beauty/skincare communities online, even though the warnings came out a few years back (I only recently discovered them myself, and am now massively on edge)

www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/emollients-new-information-about-risk-of-severe-and-fatal-burns-with-paraffin-containing-and-paraffin-free-emollients

@RickiTarr

Commonly prescribed by GPs, nurses and other clinicians - as well as being available in chemists and supermarkets - emollients are not flammable in themselves. The risk occurs when they absorb into fabrics and are then exposed to naked flames or heat sources resulting in a fire that burns quickly and intensely and can cause serious injury or death.

Right so the takeaway is don’t have naked flames or heat sources in the bedroom, which most people don’t, and the do mainly seem to be talking about the medical type eczema kind of emollients.

I simply don’t believe that standard moisturiser leaves a flammable residue in sheets that cannot be removed with standard laundering (meaning 40 or 50 degrees and a biological detergent, not 20 degrees with soap nuts).

I think a couple of different elements are being conflated to cause a panic. There is not an epidemic of human combustion incidents. They are mostly concerned about older patients.

People who use moisturisers wear clothes. They also cook dinner wearing clothes. If over time, those moisturisers have soaked into their clothes and am increasing residue is left that hasn't been completely removed in the washing machine, the clothes are therefore at potential risk of becoming a wick whilst cooking.

DP has had Psoriasis since childhood, whilst I've only been diagnosed with it in the last decade - even now, he literally won't let me go downstairs to cook anything without nagging me that I need to make sure all the various concoctions I have to use (which vary from emollients and steroid ointments and lotions to bog standard, over the counter, cosmetic products) are washed off and I've got changed.

It's something he's known about for thirty-odd years since he saw his grandfather using bits of kitchen roll, newspaper or rag with the residue from applying his moisturiser to get the range fired up quickly.

Possibly the weirdest thread I’ve ever seen on MN.
Surely this has to be a joke?

Well, if you think about it, this has always been an issue. In the past maybe more so as naked flames were used more. The ancient Romans used olive oil to wash, people oiled their hair in biblical times, for example.

It's not just moisturisers, suncream contain oils too as do muscle ointments and rub in decongestant. Hairsprays and styling products are also flammable as are many nail products,

Many fabrics are highly flammable too. Nylons, cottons...Look at how many people died in Victorian times from their nightclothes been set alight.

The takeaway is be careful around fire. Always. Moisturisers or not.

Amazing really, especially, as in some cultures people also singe their hair with a flame to burn the off split ends instead cutting it...

Yes I understand the issue @NeverDropYourMoonCup but I’m not convinced it’s a major issue for people in the general population who just use non-prescription moisturisers. Those who use prescription emollients for skin conditions are in a different category.

@JMAngel1

Possibly the weirdest thread I’ve ever seen on MN. Surely this has to be a joke?

No joke and it has happened to people. I think E45 or emulsifying ointment was involved in one fire.

But, if you don’t smoke or have candles burning you’re unlikely to immolate all over the Axminster.

It will have happened to people but if you look at the amount of household accidents involving burns and open fires you will see there has always been a problem.

Naked flames are dangerous, not just due to moisturisers. And people have been using a variety of flammable oils to moisturise, clean and condition their skin and hair for centuries alongside using open fires for cooking and heat.

The danger is not a new thing but perhaps just less well known as it is now possible to cook and heat your house without the use of naked flames.

And, as a toddler, I remember being told off for sitting to close to the electric bar fire in the seventies and 'scorching' my nylon quilted dressing gown!

I mean, I hope to never be close enough to a fire that it will take those few seconds to catch and set me alight.

However, clothes are a fire risk anyway, a bit of moisturiser really isn’t going to make much difference.

Plus no one bats an eyelid at wearing aerosols or perfume..

@grasstreeleaf

And, as a toddler, I remember being told off for sitting to close to the electric bar fire in the seventies and 'scorching' my nylon quilted dressing gown!

I melted my new plastic-soled sandals all over the carpet from sitting by the electric fire.

My mother was hysterical about the carpet.

Different times indeed, Spindle!

Most pyjamas carry a high flammable risk label too.