E45 cream is a skin care product created in 1952 and currently marketed by

Karo Pharma Karo may refer to: Ethnic groups * Karo people (East Africa), a group of tribes in East Africa * Karo people (Ethiopia), an ethnic group from Ethiopia * Karo people (Indonesia), the indigenous people of the Karo Plateau in North Sumatra Language ...

. It contains the following

active ingredients An active ingredient is any ingredient that provides biologically active or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or animals. The ...

lanolin Lanolin (from Latin 'wool', and 'oil'), also called wool yolk, wool wax, or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specifically fo ...

, white soft paraffin and liquid paraffin. Although it was initially only available in hospitals, increased demand and successful results made the product available at retail as well. After belonging to a subsidiary of the

Reckitt Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, trading as Reckitt, is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, England. It is a producer of health, hygiene and nutrition products. The company was formed in March 1999 by the merg ...

group until mid-year, the brand was sold on April 1, 2022 and ownership was transferred by Crookes Healthcare to Karo Pharma.

E45 cream

E45 is an

emollient A moisturizer, or emollient, is a cosmetic preparation used for protecting, moisturizing, and lubricating the skin. These functions are normally performed by sebum produced by healthy skin. The word "emollient" is derived from the Latin verb ''m ...

. Emollients are proven to seal in moisture. Paraffin creates a breathable and hypoallergenic layer over damaged skin to protect it from potential irritants whilst

heals and softens the

epidermis The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and Subcutaneous tissue, hypodermis. The epidermis layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the ...

. The effectiveness of E45 doubles when applied on skin that is still slightly damp. In 2016 it was one of the biggest selling branded

over-the-counter Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid prescr ...

medications sold in Great Britain, with sales of £35.5 million. The product contains paraffin (a

fire accelerant In fire protection, an accelerant is any substance or mixture that accelerates or speeds the development and escalation of fire. Accelerants are often used to commit arson, and some accelerants may cause an explosion. Some fire investigators use t ...

) and can generate

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

risks. It has been associated with deaths from fire and, from 2017, was set to carry a flammability warning. E45 cream contains the following:

References

{{reflist Ointments 2022 mergers and acquisitions