Emulsifying ointment is a thick, greasy, unscented moisturiser used for dry skin conditions — eczema, psoriasis, ichthyosis and generally dry or scaly skin — and as a soap substitute for washing. It contains no active drug. It works by holding water in the skin rather than by treating anything.
What is Emulsifying?
The word people are searching for here is emulsifying ointment, sold in tubs in South African pharmacies, usually as an unbranded product with a plain label.
It is a pharmacopoeial preparation, not a proprietary medicine. That is why it does not appear in the South African Medicine Price Registry alongside branded products — it is a standard formula made to a published specification and sold as a general-sale item rather than a registered, scheduled medicine. Its absence from that register is unremarkable and says nothing about its quality.
Emulsifying ointment is a greasy emollient base: paraffins combined with an emulsifying wax. The wax is what makes it different from plain petroleum jelly — it allows the ointment to mix with water, which is what makes it usable as a wash as well as a leave-on moisturiser.
Read your own tub. Formulations vary slightly between manufacturers, and some products described as “aqueous cream” or “emulsifying cream” are lighter, water-containing versions of the same idea rather than the ointment itself. If your doctor specified one, use that one.
There is no medicine in it. Nothing in emulsifying ointment treats infection, inflammation or an underlying skin disease. It manages the skin’s barrier, which is a different job — and often the more important one day to day.
What is Emulsifying commonly used for?
It is used for:
- Dry skin of any cause, including the dryness that comes with age or with cold, dry weather.
- Eczema and atopic dermatitis — as the everyday moisturiser between flare-ups, and alongside steroid creams during them.
- Psoriasis, to soften scale and reduce cracking.
- Ichthyosis and other conditions with persistent scaling.
- A soap substitute. This is one of its most valuable uses. Ordinary soap strips the skin’s natural oils and makes eczema worse. A blob of emulsifying ointment worked into wet skin cleans without stripping.
- A bath additive, dissolved in warm water.
- Cracked heels, hands and lips, and skin dried by frequent hand washing.
- Protecting skin around wounds, stomas or under dressings, on medical advice.
Applied thickly and often, it is the foundation of managing chronic dry skin conditions. It is unglamorous, cheap, and does more for day-to-day comfort than most of the products marketed alongside it.
How Emulsifying fits into this medicine category
| Group | Examples | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Greasy emollients | Emulsifying ointment, white soft paraffin | Strongest barrier effect; greasy, best overnight |
| Lighter emollients | Aqueous cream, moisturising lotions | Easier to apply, absorb faster, less occlusive |
| Topical steroids | Hydrocortisone, betamethasone | Reduce inflammation in flare-ups; used in courses |
| Antifungals | Clotrimazole (Canex V) | Treat fungal skin infection |
| Combination products | Steroid plus antimicrobial | Inflamed and infected skin together |
Emollients and steroids are partners, not alternatives. The steroid settles a flare; the emollient keeps the barrier intact so flares are less frequent. Continue the emollient when the skin looks fine — that is the point of it. See the skin and wound care hub.
What to check before using Emulsifying
Check the label of the tub you actually have, since “emulsifying ointment”, “emulsifying cream” and “aqueous cream” are different products with different textures and uses.
Points worth knowing:
- It is very greasy. Many people use it overnight or under cotton clothing and a lighter cream during the day. That is a reasonable approach, not a failure to use it properly.
- It stains and it is slippery. It marks bedding and clothing, and makes bath and shower surfaces genuinely dangerous. Use a mat and rinse the floor afterwards.
- Apply in the direction of hair growth, in smooth downward strokes rather than rubbing in circles, which can irritate hair follicles.
- Apply generously and often — several times a day for actively dry skin, and always after washing.
- If you are also using a steroid cream, leave a gap of around fifteen to twenty minutes between the two rather than layering them at once.
- Some people are sensitive to the emulsifying wax in it. If your skin stings, reddens or itches more after use, stop and ask a pharmacist about an alternative emollient.
Do not apply it to broken or weeping skin, or to burns, without advice.
Possible cautions and when to ask a pharmacist or doctor
Fire risk is the one serious hazard, and it is easy to overlook. Paraffin-based emollients soak into fabric — clothing, bedding, dressings and bandages — and dried-in residue burns readily. People using these products heavily have died in fires started by cigarettes, matches or open flames. Keep away from naked flames and do not smoke while wearing it or in bedding treated with it. Wash fabrics at a high temperature, though this does not remove all residue.
Otherwise it is one of the safest products in the pharmacy. It has no systemic effect, and it can generally be used in pregnancy, in breastfeeding and on babies and children, though check with a pharmacist for very young infants.
Ask a pharmacist or doctor if:
- The skin is not improving despite regular use.
- The skin becomes red, hot, weeping, crusted or painful, or you develop fever — these suggest infection, which an emollient will not treat.
- The product itself seems to irritate.
- A child’s eczema is disturbing sleep or spreading.
- You are using it on skin that is cracked and bleeding, which may need more than a moisturiser.
Related medicine guides
Frequently asked questions
What is emulsifying ointment used for? Moisturising dry, scaly or eczema-prone skin, and as a soap substitute for washing. It contains no active medicine.
Can I wash with it? Yes. Work a small amount into wet skin instead of soap, then rinse. This is one of its main uses in eczema care.
Is it the same as aqueous cream? No. Aqueous cream is a lighter, water-containing preparation. Emulsifying ointment is much greasier and more occlusive.
Can I use it on a baby? It is widely used on children’s skin, but check with a pharmacist or clinic nurse for infants, and follow any advice you have already been given.
Does it treat eczema? It manages dryness and protects the skin barrier, which reduces flare-ups. It does not treat the inflammation of an active flare — that usually needs a steroid cream.
Is there any real danger with it? Fire. Paraffin residue in clothing and bedding is flammable. Keep away from naked flames and do not smoke while using it.