Caulking around ceiling light fixtures?

[naturelover]

Does anyone know if a certain type of caulk should be used when caulking around old ceiling light fixtures? I came across something that said to use silicone but am wondering if acrylic latex caulk is ok, since we already have some of that. Mainly wondering for safety purposes.

[Greg]

Acrylic is fine, and to be honest, preferable.  Acrylic caulking is easy to apply, tool (smooth with wet finger, rag or tool) and cleanup.  Shrinks more than silicone, but will take paint.  Silicone doesn't accept paint, and can corrode some surfaces. 

The only place I use silicone caulking is in the garage on car projects.