Emollients in dermatological creams: Early evaluation for tailoring formulation and therapeutic performance

•The emollient choice optimizes formulation and potential therapeutic performance.•Tribology studies of pharmaceutical topical semisolids are very scarce.•Therapeutic success depends on the active substance and the emollient skin care.•Different dermatological conditions require different emollients.•Cream characteristics guide the choice of the best emollient for targeted purposes.