What Is Cetraben Cream Used For?

Cetraben cream is an emollient used to relieve and prevent dry, itchy, flaky and irritated skin — most commonly in eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis. It contains white soft paraffin and light liquid paraffin, which form a protective layer that slows water loss from the skin, plus glycerol, which draws moisture into the outer skin layers. It is steroid-free, fragrance-free and can be used as often as needed, on most areas of the body, by adults and children.

Below is a practical, evidence-based guide to what Cetraben does, how to apply it properly, how the cream, lotion and ointment differ, and the safety points that most product pages leave out — including the MHRA fire-risk warning that applies to every paraffin-based emollient.

What is Cetraben cream?

Cetraben cream is a paraffin-based emollient made by Thornton & Ross (part of STADA) in Huddersfield, UK. It is licensed for the symptomatic relief of red, inflamed, damaged, dry or chapped skin, particularly when this is associated with eczema.

Cetraben is not a single product but a range. It includes a light lotion, the standard cream, a rich ointment and a bath additive, alongside a consumer skincare line. The whole range is built on the same principle: high-purity paraffins to seal the skin, with a humectant to pull water into it.

Unlike hydrocortisone or other eczema treatments that reduce inflammation, Cetraben contains no steroids. That is why it can be used long-term and as often as you like, and why dermatologists describe emollients as the foundation of dry skin management rather than a short-term fix.

What's actually in Cetraben cream?

Notably absent: fragrance, colourants, lanolin, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and parabens. SLS is worth singling out — it is a detergent found in some older emollients such as aqueous cream, and it has been associated with skin barrier damage and stinging in people with eczema, which is why SLS-free formulations are generally preferred. Always check the pack, as formulations can change.

What is Cetraben cream used for?

Cetraben cream is used to manage any condition where the skin barrier is dry, damaged or leaking moisture. The most common uses are:

It can also be used as a soap substitute — smoothed onto wet skin in the bath or shower instead of soap, then rinsed. This matters more than most people realise, because ordinary soap and shower gel strip the lipids that an emollient is trying to replace.

If you are still deciding between brands, our comparison of the best emollient creams for eczema sets Cetraben alongside the main UK alternatives.

How does Cetraben cream work on dry skin?

Healthy skin holds water because its outer layer, the stratum corneum, behaves like a brick wall: skin cells are the bricks, and a lipid matrix of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids is the mortar. In eczema and other dry skin conditions that mortar is depleted — often compounded by genetic differences in filaggrin, a protein essential to barrier function. Water escapes, irritants and allergens get in, and the skin becomes itchy and inflamed.

Cetraben works on both halves of that problem:

1. Occlusion. White soft paraffin sits on the surface as a semi-permeable film, cutting transepidermal water loss so the skin can rehydrate from beneath.
2. Lipid replacement. Light liquid paraffin fills the gaps between skin cells, restoring smoothness and flexibility.
3. Humectancy. Glycerol actively binds water into the outer layers, rather than simply preventing loss.

The practical consequence is that emollients work best when applied to damp skin — within a few minutes of a bath or shower — because you are then sealing in water that is already there.

How to apply Cetraben cream correctly

Most people under-apply emollients and rub them in like a body lotion. Both reduce the benefit. Here is the method recommended by UK dermatology services and the National Eczema Society.

1. Wash your hands, or decant the cream with a clean spoon or spatula if you are using a tub. Never dip fingers into a shared tub — this is a genuine route to bacterial contamination.
2. Apply to slightly damp skin where possible, ideally within three to five minutes of bathing. Pat dry with a soft towel first; do not rub.
3. Dot blobs of cream over the limbs and trunk rather than starting from one spot.
4. Smooth it in the direction of hair growth. Do not rub up and down — this can block hair follicles, cause folliculitis and generate heat that triggers itching.
5. Leave a visible sheen. The skin should glisten slightly, not be fully absorbed and matte.
6. Let it settle for a few minutes before dressing.
7. Repeat at least twice a day, and every few hours during a flare or in very dry skin.

How much Cetraben should you use?

UK guidance for widespread eczema suggests at least 500g of leave-on emollient per week for an adult and at least 250g per week for a child when a large area of the body is affected. Those figures surprise most people, and under-use is one of the most common reasons emollient therapy appears to "not work". For localised dryness — hands, elbows, shins — you will use far less.

For high-frequency use, the Cetraben Cream in a pump dispenser is more hygienic and easier to dose than a tub, and the 150g Cetraben Cream tube is a sensible size for a bag or desk drawer.

Can you use Cetraben with a steroid cream?

Yes — and most people with eczema will do both. The sequence matters. Current advice from the National Eczema Society and the British Association of Dermatologists is to apply the topical steroid first, to the inflamed areas only, then wait around 30 minutes before applying your emollient over the whole body. Applying emollient first can dilute the steroid and spread it onto skin that does not need it.

Different rules apply to topical calcineurin inhibitors: manufacturers advise leaving around two hours between tacrolimus (Protopic) and an emollient. If you have been prescribed a steroid such as mometasone furoate cream, check the timing with your GP or pharmacist, as instructions vary by product and by body site.

Cetraben cream vs lotion vs ointment: which should you use?

The three main Cetraben products differ almost entirely in oil content. More oil means more occlusion, more staying power and more greasiness. Choosing well is mostly about matching the formulation to how dry your skin is and whether you will realistically keep using it.

A common and sensible pattern is Cetraben Lotion 500ml during the day when you need to dress and get on with things, and Cetraben Ointment overnight when greasiness does not matter. Because it is preservative-free and very high in paraffin, the ointment is also the option most often chosen for skin that stings or reacts to other products — though it carries the highest fire risk, covered below. You can see how the formulations sit alongside each other across the full Cetraben range at Welzo.

Pros and cons of Cetraben cream

How long does Cetraben take to work?

Emollients give some immediate relief but their real benefit is cumulative. Expect a rough timeline like this, assuming consistent twice-daily use:

If your skin is no better after two weeks of proper, frequent use — or is getting worse, weeping, crusting or painful — see a pharmacist or GP rather than simply continuing.

Is Cetraben cream safe? Side effects and warnings

Cetraben has a good safety record and is widely used in the NHS across all ages. Reactions are uncommon, but there are two things everyone using it should know.

Fire risk: the warning most people have never heard

This is the single most important safety point about any paraffin-based emollient, and it is routinely omitted from product descriptions.

Emollients are not flammable on the skin. But they transfer onto clothing, bedding, bandages and dressings, where they dry in and build up over time. Fabric contaminated in this way ignites easily and burns fast and hot. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued repeated alerts on this, most recently extending the warning to emollients containing any amount of paraffin — and noting that the risk cannot be excluded even for paraffin-free products. More than 50 UK deaths have been linked to fires where emollient build-up on fabric contributed to the speed and intensity of the fire, most commonly involving smoking.

Practical precautions:

• Do not smoke, and stay away from anyone who is smoking, while wearing emollient-treated clothing.
• Keep away from naked flames, gas hobs, open fires, candles and halogen heaters.
• Wash clothing and bedding regularly — daily where practical — at the highest temperature the fabric allows. Washing reduces but does not eliminate the risk.
• Allow tumble-dried fabrics to cool fully before folding and storing.
• The risk rises with greasier products and with application over large areas, so it is highest with the ointment.

Full guidance is available from the MHRA's safe use of emollient skin creams guidance and the Care Quality Commission's briefing on emollient fire risk. None of this is a reason to stop using emollients — continuing treatment is important — but it is a reason to change how you handle bedding and clothing.

Possible side effects

Additional precautions: it is for external use only, should be kept away from the eyes, and should not be applied to open wounds or infected skin without advice. Do not use it if you have previously reacted to any of its ingredients. If greasy emollients are applied to the feet, be aware that floors and bath surfaces become slippery — a genuine falls risk for older adults.

Can babies, pregnant women and older adults use it?

• Babies and children: the manufacturer's information for Cetraben Cream covers adults, the elderly and children over one year. For infants under one, ask your health visitor, GP or pharmacist which emollient to use rather than assuming.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: Cetraben contains no steroids or active drugs and is generally considered suitable, though nursing mothers should wipe the cream off the breast before feeding.
• Older adults: suitable and often particularly helpful, since skin lipids decline with age. Take extra care with the fire and slip risks noted above.

What does the evidence actually say about emollients like Cetraben?

It is worth being precise here, because marketing language around emollients often outruns the data.

Leave-on emollients are well supported. A Cochrane systematic review of moisturisers for eczema (van Zuuren et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017) concluded that regular moisturiser use reduces the number of flares, lengthens the time to the next flare, and reduces the amount of topical corticosteroid needed. The certainty of the evidence was mostly low to moderate, and no single moisturiser stood out as clearly superior to the others.

Bath additives are not. The BATHE trial — a UK randomised controlled trial of 482 children across 96 general practices, published in The BMJ in 2018 — found no evidence of clinical benefit from adding emollient bath additives to standard eczema care. Leave-on emollients and soap substitutes remain the priority; bath additives are now much less commonly recommended in UK practice. If you have limited budget or patience, spend it on the leave-on product.

What this means for you: the specific brand matters less than whether you can tolerate it and will actually apply it several times a day, in adequate quantity, indefinitely. NICE and the National Eczema Society both emphasise that emollient choice should be guided by patient preference for exactly this reason. Cetraben's practical advantages — fragrance-free, SLS-free, available in pumps, and offered in three strengths so you can step up or down — are about adherence, which is where most emollient therapy succeeds or fails.

Cetraben was also the first eczema-prone skincare range to be approved by the British Skin Foundation. This is a brand recognition and awareness partnership rather than a regulatory approval or a clinical endorsement of superiority, and it is worth reading it as such.

Common mistakes when using Cetraben cream

1. Using too little. A 500g tub should not last an adult with widespread eczema much more than a week or two.
2. Rubbing it in vigorously. Smooth downwards in the direction of hair growth.
3. Stopping when the skin clears. Emollients are preventive. Stopping is a reliable route back to a flare.
4. Still using soap or shower gel. These strip the lipids you are trying to replace. Use the emollient itself as a soap substitute.
5. Applying emollient before a steroid. Steroid first, then a 30-minute gap.
6. Dipping fingers into a shared tub. Use a pump or a clean spoon; discard tubs after a skin infection.
7. Ignoring the fire warning. Emollient-soaked bedding is a real hazard, not a formality.
8. Expecting it to fix inflammation. Persistently red, weeping or painful skin needs assessment, not just more moisturiser.

Myth vs fact

How does Cetraben compare with other emollients?

There is no clear clinical winner among these. The right one is the one you tolerate and will use consistently. Many people trial two or three before settling — our guides to what Epimax cream is used for and the wider eczema skincare collection can help you narrow the field, and the psoriasis skincare range covers options for thicker, scaling plaques.

When should you see a pharmacist or GP?

Emollients are self-care products, but dry skin is not always just dry skin. Seek advice if:

• The skin is weeping, crusting, yellow-crusted or increasingly painful — this may indicate infection.
• There is no improvement after two weeks of consistent, adequate use.
• Itching is disturbing sleep or affecting daily life.
• The rash is spreading rapidly or you develop a fever.
• You are using a topical steroid for more than a couple of weeks without review.
• Dryness appeared suddenly without an obvious cause, or is accompanied by unexplained weight change, fatigue or thirst — occasionally an underlying issue such as thyroid disease or diabetes is involved.

Community pharmacists in the UK can advise on emollient choice without an appointment, and the National Eczema Society's emollient guidance is a reliable free resource. For persistent or severe disease, NICE guidance supports referral to dermatology.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Cetraben cream on my face?

Yes. The manufacturer states the Cetraben range is suitable for use on both the face and body, and it is fragrance-free, which reduces the chance of irritation. Avoid the eye area. If the cream feels heavy or causes congestion on facial skin, the lighter Cetraben Lotion is usually a better fit.

Is Cetraben cream a steroid?

No. Cetraben contains no corticosteroids and no active drug ingredients. It is a paraffin-based emollient, which is why it can be used as often as needed and for as long as needed, including on children, without the monitoring required for topical steroids.

How often should I apply Cetraben cream?

At least twice daily as a minimum, and more often during a flare or if the skin is very dry — three to four times a day is common. Reapply after every hand wash, bath or shower. There is no maximum; under-application is far more common than over-application.

Can Cetraben cream be used on babies?

The manufacturer's information for Cetraben Cream covers children over one year of age. Emollients are widely used in infants, but for babies under one it is best to ask your health visitor, GP or pharmacist to recommend a suitable product rather than choosing one yourself.

Do you need a prescription for Cetraben?

No. Cetraben is available to buy over the counter in the UK, though it is also frequently prescribed on the NHS — particularly the larger sizes for people with widespread eczema who get through 500g or more per week.

Does Cetraben cream expire?

Yes. Check the expiry date on the pack, and note the period-after-opening symbol (a small open jar icon) which indicates how long the product remains suitable once opened. Store below 25°C, replace the cap after use, and discard tubs after an episode of skin infection.

Can I use Cetraben with hydrocortisone?

Yes, and the combination is common. Apply the hydrocortisone to inflamed areas first, wait around 30 minutes, then apply Cetraben over the whole area. Hydrocortisone should generally not be used continuously without review — speak to a pharmacist or GP if you are relying on it regularly.

Does Cetraben cream help with psoriasis?

It helps with the dryness, scaling and cracking that accompany psoriasis, and softening plaques can improve comfort and help other treatments penetrate. It does not address the underlying immune process, so it works alongside prescribed treatments rather than replacing them.

Is Cetraben vegan and cruelty-free?

Yes. Cetraben products are formulated without animal-derived ingredients and are not tested on animals, making the range suitable for vegans.

What's the difference between Cetraben and Cetaphil?

Despite similar names they are unrelated brands. Cetraben is a UK paraffin-based emollient range from Thornton & Ross, positioned for eczema-prone and very dry skin. Cetaphil is a Galderma skincare range with a lighter, more cosmetic formulation. For clinically dry or eczematous skin, a paraffin-based emollient like Cetraben is generally the more substantial option.

The bottom line

Cetraben cream is used to relieve and prevent dry, itchy and irritated skin by sealing moisture in and replacing the lipids a damaged barrier has lost. It is steroid-free, well tolerated, suitable for daily long-term use, and available in three strengths so you can match the formulation to how dry your skin actually is.

The evidence supports regular leave-on emollient use for eczema — but it also shows that consistency matters more than brand. Apply enough, apply often, smooth rather than rub, use it as a soap substitute, and keep going when your skin looks clear. And take the fire-safety advice seriously: wash bedding and clothing regularly and stay away from naked flames.

If you are ready to start, the Cetraben range at Welzo covers the lotion, cream and ointment, and the broader dermatological skincare collection includes soap substitutes and barrier creams that work well alongside it.

Medical disclaimer: This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a qualified healthcare professional. Always read the patient information leaflet supplied with your product. If your skin condition worsens, becomes infected, or does not improve, contact your pharmacist, GP or NHS 111.

Last reviewed: 2026.