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Aqueous cream

Light, hydrocarbon-based emollient

Aqueous cream

Light, hydrocarbon-based emollient

Aqueous Cream BP, also known as sorbolene, is a light, hydrocarbon-based emulsion, which is officially registered in the British Pharmacopoeia and categorised by the British National Formulary as a non-proprietary emollient preparation. It is used as a topical, external medicine, emollient, and general-purpose substitute for toiletries such as soap, shower gel, shaving cream, and lip salve. While sometimes thought to be a moisturiser, it is poor as such; official advice is not to prescribe the cream as a moisturiser.

Aqueous cream B.P.

Ingredients

The common ingredients are:

  • liquid hydrocarbons
  • white soft paraffin wax
  • purified water
  • emulsifying wax containing sodium lauryl sulphate, a detergent
  • cetostearyl alcohol
  • chlorocresol

Contraindications

British researchers found evidence that using the cream to treat areas affected by eczema may actually aggravate the condition. They suggested this was due to skin-thinning effects of the detergent sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). The National Eczema Society recommends alternatives such as white soft paraffin wax or other types of emollient; most emollients available on prescription in the UK besides aqueous cream and emulsifying ointment have been reformulated to omit SLS.

References

References

  1. "BNF index".
  2. (2010-10-18). "Aqueous cream 'aggravates eczema'". BBC News.
  3. (26 March 2025). "Emollients - section Aqueous cream and eczema". National Eczema Society.
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This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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