As winter temperatures drop, emollient creams play a vital role in supporting people with dry, itchy or sensitive skin – particularly older people and those receiving care and support. However, new winter safety guidance from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) highlights an important but often overlooked risk: fire safety.
Here, we explain what the risk is, who is most affected, and the simple steps care providers, staff, and families can take to keep people safe.
Why emollient creams can increase fire risk
Millions of people across the UK use emollient creams daily. While emollients themselves are not flammable, repeated use can cause residue to build up on:
- Clothing
- Bedding
- Bandages and dressings
- Soft furnishings
When these fabrics come into contact with naked flames, cigarettes, or heat sources, they can ignite more easily and burn much faster than expected.
For people who spend more time indoors during winter – often close to heaters or fires – this risk can be significantly higher.
Who is most at risk in adult social care?
This safety advice is particularly relevant for:
- Older people
- People with long-term skin conditions (e.g. eczema, psoriasis)
- Individuals receiving domiciliary care or living in care homes
- People who smoke or live with smokers
- Those using open fires, portable heaters or electric blankets
Care staff, managers and family carers all play a key role in reducing this risk through awareness and everyday practice.
Three key fire safety precautions for care settings
The MHRA and NFCC recommend three simple but effective actions that should be embedded into care routines and risk assessments:
1. Keep emollient-contaminated fabrics away from flames
- Avoid smoking, candles and naked flames near people using emollient creams
- Be particularly cautious if clothing or bedding has absorbed cream over time
- Remember: contaminated fabrics can catch fire quickly and help flames spread faster
2. Keep warm – but safely
- Ensure people sit at least one metre away from heaters or open fires
- Take extra care with electric bar heaters, gas heaters and halogen heaters
- Position furniture safely and avoid placing blankets or clothing close to heat sources
3. Wash clothing and bedding regularly
- Wash fabrics at the highest temperature recommended on the care label
- Regular washing helps reduce build-up, but does not remove it completely
- Continued fire safety awareness is essential even with frequent laundering
What this means for care providers and staff
For adult social care services, this guidance should be reflected in:
- Care plans and risk assessments
- Fire safety training and refreshers
- Staff supervision and induction
- Conversations with people using services and their families
It’s also important to ensure staff understand that this risk applies to all emollient creams, including prescribed and over-the-counter products.
Supporting people to stay safe at home
The NFCC and MHRA encourage anyone using emollient creams – or supporting someone who does – to complete a free online home fire safety check.
This provides tailored advice based on individual circumstances and can be accessed via the official Home Fire Safety Check service.
Care providers may wish to:
- Signpost people and families to this resource
- Support individuals to complete it
- Incorporate the advice into wider home safety planning
A shared responsibility this winter
As the MHRA notes, winter brings warmth and comfort – but also increased fire risk. Simple, practical actions can prevent devastating incidents and save lives.
By raising awareness across the adult social care sector, providers and professionals can help ensure people stay warm, comfortable and safe throughout the colder months.
Source: Keep the warmth, lose the risk: MHRA and National Fire Chiefs Council issue winter emollient safety warning