A barrier cream is a topical formulation used in industrial and medical environments to place a physical barrier between the skin and contaminants which may irritate the skin and cause contact dermatitis or occupational dermatitis.

[edit] Medical application

Barrier preparations which can be a cream, ointment or aerosol spray often contain substances which repel water such as silicone, zinc oxide or dimethicone. Typical applications are in occluded skin-to-skin contacts such as body folds or flexural areas. A common use for barrier creams and ointments is nappy rash or diaper rash.

[edit] Industrial applications

Barrier creams have been used in industry to protect workers skin from the contaminants encountered in manufacturing trades. In this application a barrier cream may also be water repellent but may also need to repel certain solvents present in mineral oils, gasoline, paints, lubricants and ink. The use of china clay or kaolinite is added to physically block the skin's pores. Industrial barrier creams have different formulations according to the type or work undertaken.