Study: Emollient Use in Infancy Reduces AD Incidence by Age 2

Key Takeaways

• Daily use of a full-body emollient reduced the incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) by age 2 in a population of infants not selected for AD risk.

• The protective effect was stronger among infants without high-risk factors and in homes with a dog. No safety signals were reported.

Daily full-body emollient use beginning before 9 weeks of age significantly reduced the incidence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in a general infant population, according to new study results published in JAMA Dermatology.

Researchers for the randomized, decentralized trial enrolled 1,247 infant-parent dyads and looked at daily moisturizer use. Infants were not selected for elevated risk of AD. Participants received either daily full-body emollient application beginning before 9 weeks of age or standard care with no emollient use. Subjects were followed through 24 months.

According to the study results, the cumulative incidence of AD was 36.1% in the moisturizer group vs. 43.0% in the control group. This corresponded to a relative risk (RR) of 0.84 (95% CI, 0.73 to 0.97; P = 0.02). The protective effect was greater in infants not at high risk for AD (RR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.90; P = 0.01). The presence of a dog in the household was associated with an stronger protective effect (RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.90; P = 0.01).

No significant differences were observed between groups in cutaneous adverse events.

“This randomized clinical trial found that daily emollient application beginning before age 9 weeks in a representative US population not selected for risk reduced the cumulative incidence of AD at age 24 months,” the authors wrote. “Implementing this approach to pediatric skin care may be a feasible way to reduce the burden of AD in US communities.”

Source: Simpson E, et al. JAMA Dermatology. 2025. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2025.2357