What is Petroleum Jelly?
Petroleum jelly is a byproduct of the oil refining process. It is not sustainable or eco-friendly. It was originally found in the bottom of oil rigs, but in order to be used for beauty products it must go through an extensive refining process. Packaging and safety info deems refined petroleum jelly as “safe” for the skin.
However there is question on how safe it really is due to how chemically driven the refining process is to go from a crude oil to a “clean” product.
If there’s any slack in the refining process then PAH’s (known carcinogens) can contaminate it, and there’s no way to know the exact refining process of the products on the selves in the U.S (the EU requires the full refining history be shown).
At the end of the day, I think there’s way worse products out there. If you are a die hard petroleum jelly user with no desire to change odds are you will be just fine. However, there are many other better options out there that are easily accessible and affordable, making it an easy swap.
Problems with Petroleum Jelly
BLOCKED PORES
Petroleum jelly does do a good job of holding in moisture. However, since it is both waterproof and not water soluble it blocks pores which can entrap bacteria.
HYDROCARBONS
Petroleum jelly is a mixture of semi-solid, saturated hydrocarbons. A 2011 study (1) found strong evidence that mineral oil hydrocarbons are one of the top contaminants of the human body via air inhalation, food intake, and dermal absorption.
INCREASED ESTROGEN
Petroleum jelly contains xenoestrogen chemicals. Studies have found that these chemicals may act as hormone receptors leading to increased estrogen (2). When estrogen dominates it can lead to infertility, menstrual problems, allergies, nutrient deficients, and autoimmune problems.
Safer Options
Earthley use code ALEXK10 for 10% off
Mother Love use code thenaturalmindedmama15 for 15% off
Earth Mama use code ALEX10 for 10% off
Sources:
1 Concin N, Hofstetter G, Plattner B, Tomovski C, Fiselier K, Gerritzen K, Semsroth S, Zeimet AG, Marth C, Siegl H, Rieger K, Ulmer H, Concin H, Grob K. Evidence for cosmetics as a source of mineral oil contamination in women. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2011 Nov;20(11):1713-9. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2011.2829. Epub 2011 Oct 4. PMID: 21970597.
2 Vrabie CM, Candido A, van Duursen MB, Jonker MT. Specific in vitro toxicity of crude and refined petroleum products: II. Estrogen (alpha and beta) and androgen receptor-mediated responses in yeast assays. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2010 Jul;29(7):1529-36. doi: 10.1002/etc.187. PMID: 20821602.
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