Emollients

Emollients are extremely flammable when soaked into clothing or bedding. If you or someone you know uses them, extra care must be taken when near heat sources to prevent injury or even death. Follow our safety advice to stay safe when using emollients.

More than 50 people have died or been seriously injured over the last 10 years after their emollients dried on fabric and caught fire.

A person squeezes an emollient gel out of a yellow tube onto their hands.

Emollients as a fire hazard

Emollients can leave a flammable residue when they are absorbed into fabrics like bed sheets and clothing. Washing may reduce the build-up, but even freshly laundered materials can still be a fire risk when near sources of heat.

Other materials can also become contaminated by those which have emollient residue on them. We strongly advise that you wash them separately so that other clothing or fabric does not become contaminated.

It was previously thought that only emollients which contained paraffin-based ingredients were a fire risk. New research has shown that all emollients can present a fire risk.

Watch a video showing the effects of emollient creams on ignition rates.

Top safety tips for using emollients

If you or someone else you know uses emollients, please follow and share this advice.

  • Wash emollient contaminated clothing and bedsheets separately from everything else.
  • Don’t smoke.
  • Keep yourself, children and vulnerable adults away from open fires, heaters, and candles.
  • Be careful not to sit too close to heat sources, such as portable heaters.
  • Avoid cooking whilst wearing contaminated clothing as being too close to a hob or grill will increase the risk of your clothes catching fire.

If you’re a healthcare professional, please make others aware of the fire risks, particularly if they are a smoker.

Uses for emollients

Emollients are used to treat dry skin, sunburn and skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

They can come in many different forms: from creams to sprays, ointments and gels. They can be prescribed by doctors and pharmacists, but they can also be bought over the counter and in supermarkets too.

 

Stop drop and roll

If your clothing catches fire, use the ‘Stop, drop and roll’ method.

 

Transcript for the stop, drop and roll video

Grey

Stop, drop and roll

[Background noise of a fire engine siren as the doors of a fire station open]

Alex: Hi, my name is Alex.
I'm a firefighter here at Crownhill Fire Station on Blue Watch.

As we haven't been able to come out and do school visits this year, we thought we'd deliver this short video on what to do if your clothes were to catch fire.

The three things we need you to do are:

  • To STOP whatever you are doing
  • DROP to the floor and cover your face
  • ROLL three times each way until the flames are extinguished.

I will demonstrate this now.

[Alex lies on the ground and covers his face. He then rolls over and over sideways like a log to one side before rolling back the other way.]

Alex: Thank you for watching.

 

What to do if there is a fire

  1. Get out of the building, closing any doors behind you.
  2. Stay out of the building.
  3. Call 999 and ask for the fire service.