Petrolatum ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an occlusive skin protectant and barrier-forming emollient. It reduces transepidermal water loss and gives balms, ointments, and rich creams a cushiony, sealed feel.
What does Petrolatum do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an occlusive skin protectant and barrier-forming emollient. It reduces transepidermal water loss and gives balms, ointments, and rich creams a cushiony, sealed feel.
Is Petrolatum clean?
Clean-beauty frameworks often flag it because quality depends on complete refining and documented control of polycyclic aromatic residues. Pharmaceutical and cosmetic grades are typically well tolerated and highly inert on skin.
Is Petrolatum sustainable?
This material comes from nonrenewable fossil feedstocks and is not considered readily biodegradable. Its strong stability is useful in formulas, but it also means limited alignment with circular or renewable sourcing goals.
Is Petrolatum COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because it is fossil-derived. Its Green Chemistry fit is weak due to nonrenewable sourcing and limited biodegradability, despite low reactivity and excellent formula stability.
How does Petrolatum work chemically?
This material is a semi-solid blend of highly refined saturated hydrocarbons, with chain lengths and branching patterns that create a soft, wax-gel structure. Typical use ranges from about 1 to 5% in creams and lip products to 30% or more in ointments, and it is stable across normal cosmetic pH because it does not rely on ionizable functional groups.
Last updated 2026-05-13