Do moisturizers or lotions actually help eczema?

I've been sitting on a paper from December '24 for about six months, having re-read it a few times. I have biases - lotions have never worked for me. At a minimum the lotion is just a messy ick to smear all over for a couple of hours of meh hydration, but more often there is immediate burning, or the itchy scratchy gets a bit worse each use. So I do not want to over-sell this paper just on the basis of my personal experience. BUT!

This is the paper you might find very interesting: A sticky mess—Are moisturizers overused in dermatitis care?, Susan Nedosrost, MD. Clinical Review, Volume 91, Issue 6, p1171-1176, December 2024. (J AM ACAD DERMATOLOGY)

To quote: "Microbial dysbiosis is increasingly understood to influence allergic sensitization and skin barrier defects in dermatitis. Occlusion, such as from moisturizers, fosters microbial dysbiosis, and increases itch in many patients with dermatitis. Nevertheless, use of moisturizers in dermatitis remains part of dermatologic guidelines." 

The author points to previous studies showing that use of lotions in infants correlates strongly with development of food allergies, an article I mentioned in a post last year. I'll let you download the paper and read it yourself if you are so inclined, I just want to hit a couple of key take-aways that are interesting rabbits which I have followed further into the weeds of eczema hell. 

Oats and Olive Oil - Great food, bad for your skin!

• 1) Please have oats and olive oil in your diet, but don't put them on your skin! "Allergic contact sensitization to components of moisturizers increases the risk of systemic contact dermatitis to food or food additives.
• In a study of 641 children with AD, sensitization to their own emollient was the most common source of allergic contact dermatitis, and oat extract was the most common allergen in the moisturizers. "Ingestion of oats can cause both immediate reactions in children with positive skin prick tests and flare of previous sites of dermatitis (the latter is systemic contact dermatitis) in children with positive patch tests to oat. Five of 32 oat-sensitized patients who underwent oral food challenge to oatmeal had reactions, and none of these patients had suspicion for oat allergy based on clinical history." 
• And please don't put olive oil on your skin. Olive oil can harm the skin barrier. Olive oil can allow large molecules to penetrate your skin. See Karagounis TK, Gittler JK, Rotemberg V, Morel KD. Use of "natural" oils for moisturization: Review of olive, coconut, and sunflower seed oil. Pediatr Dermatol. 2019 Jan;36(1):9-15. doi: 10.1111/pde.13621. PMID: 30152555.

Some moisturizer and lotion compounds may be carcinogenic sometimes

• Some moisturizer compounds are carcinogenic sometimes: "A 2009 publication showed that in UV-B exposed hairless mice, all the over-the-counter moisturizers tested increased the number of skin tumors compared with no treatment or application of water; methodologic concerns raised by the manufacturers of moisturizers were answered by the authors." What that means is arguably that lotions and moisturizers may be bad news in the sun, because
• "Carcinogenesis could occur because of aryl hydrocarbons present in petroleum-based products. Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor mitigates dermatitis. Aryl hydrocarbons may increase the risk of skin cancer on nonlesional skin if present in chronically used moisturizers." So that class of ingredients might be helpful in some ways, but are known to contribute to cancer when used for a long time. 

Adverse effects of moisturizers and lotions are underreported

• Yup, for a lot of us, lotions are not our friend: "Adverse effects of moisturizers include pruritus, worsening or spread of eczema, or skin infection. Of 34 randomized controlled trials of moisturizers, 89% included reporting on adverse effects but the methods used to gather the data on adverse effects was unclear in 40%, and there is no standardization of which adverse effects should be reported." 
• I think this is understandable. We are told over and over to "moisturize more" if we feel the itch or dry or irritated skin. When that doesn't work, or you get a secondary infection, it is unlikely that you will be told that the problem might just be the very thing you were told to use! It took me years to figure out that my eczema got slowly worse when I used Aveeno daily. 
• Honestly, here in America at least, it does feel like we are drowning in influencers selling us on this and that lotion and potion. Yes, all of us with eczema are pretty desperate for relief - so let's look at the science and at our own experiences and ask: Did the lotions actually make my condition improve? 

Plant-based preservative-free oil blends are a great alternative to lotions and moisturizers

You might want to try XZ Skin Relief - it is not a lotion and it has no preservatives, no emulsifiers or wetting agents, no thickeners, and it just rolls on without ick. All of the ingredients are simple and clean, and blended for optimum results. 

About the author: Scott Hampton is a cosmetic and drug delivery expert with CDM, Inc., focusing on formulations for all kinds and colors of skin with eczema, psoriasis, and other chronic inflammatory problems. Based in Marietta, GA. Bio and LinkedIn. 

Last review and update: April 10, 2026

FAQ

Q: Can moisturizers make eczema worse?

A: Yes, for some people. A 2024 clinical review in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that moisturizers can cause microbial dysbiosis (imbalance of skin microbiome), increase itch, and trigger allergic reactions — particularly in people with existing dermatitis.

Q: Are oat-based moisturizers safe for eczema?

A: Not necessarily. Research cited in the Nedosrost (2024) review found that oat extract was the most common allergen in children's moisturizers, and oat sensitization through skin application can cause reactions when oats are eaten. Oats are healthy in the diet — but may cause problems when applied topically.

Q: Do moisturizers cause cancer?

A: Some petroleum-based moisturizer ingredients contain aryl hydrocarbons, which have been associated with increased skin tumor risk in UV-exposed animal studies. The evidence in humans is not conclusive, but the finding is notable enough to have been published in peer-reviewed literature.

Q: What should I use instead of a moisturizer for eczema?

A: Plant-based oil blends without water, emulsifiers, or preservatives avoid many of the irritants found in conventional moisturizers. These ingredients are what disrupt the skin microbiome and cause occlusion-related itch. A preservative-free, emulsifier-free approach — like XZ Skin Relief — is designed to support the skin barrier without these risks.

Q: Are adverse effects of moisturizers well-studied?

A: Poorly. A review of 34 randomized controlled trials of moisturizers found that while 89% reported on adverse effects, 40% had unclear methods for gathering that data, and there is no standardization for which adverse effects should be reported. This means the true rate of harm may be underestimated.