[ARP]

Hello,

I’m not exactly a scientist. I have been prescribed Fusidic Acid cream, for my lower arms/wrists (Butylhydroxyanisole, cetyl alcohol, glycerol 85%, liquid paraffin, potassium sorbate, polysorbate, white soft paraffin, hydrochloric acid for pH adjustment, purified water) and I am working with a rubber material that consists of ‘67% copolyester elastomer’. Due to the areas I must apply the cream, it’s going to be next to impossible to not get any cream on the materials mentioned, albeit tiny amounts. I know that solvents (mainly alcohol and acetate) break down rubbers and plastics pretty handily, but I am wondering if the cream has the potential to weaken this type of rubber. Or do the ingredients in the cream have zero potential to be porous when making contact with rubber? I know the cream works by passing through unbroken skin, much like alcohol would when making contact with plastic/rubber.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[Borek]

Amounts one usually put on the skin are quite small, plus, most of the ingredients get absorbed through the skin - they don't stay there forever. Solvents (if present) get absorbed only is small amounts, instead they evaporate quite fast as the skin is warm and they are quite volatile.

Unless you use copious amounts every ten minutes I don't think it should be a serious problem. You may want to wait some time (say an hour) after applying the cream just to be on the safe side.

[ARP]

Thank you so much for your answer. That makes a whole lot of sense. I suppose the greasy stuff left over on the surface of one’s skin, is pretty much just a moisturiser mixed in with the cream.
Thanks again and I shan’t worry now.