Keeping a baby’s skin moisturised could significantly reduce their risk of eczema – but perhaps only for babies who aren’t genetically at risk
By Carissa Wong
23 July 2025
Moisturising a baby’s skin could have long-term benefits
nattrass/Getty Images
Applying moisturiser to a baby’s skin every day could reduce their risk of developing eczema, but it seems to depend on whether they are genetically at risk of the condition.
Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is an inflammatory condition characterised by itchy and dry skin that may blister or bleed. It usually begins in infancy, with symptoms generally subsiding with age.
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To explore whether moisturisers can help, Hywel Williams at the University of Nottingham, UK, and his colleagues recruited more than 1200 parents in the US whose babies didn’t have eczema.
Half of the babies, who were aged between 0 and 8 weeks, had an immediate family member with eczema, so probably had a higher genetic risk of the condition.
The researchers randomly assigned about half of the parents to apply any of five moisturisers, which were available without a prescription, all over their babies’ bodies every day. The parents could choose any of the moisturisers and swap between them.