Caredermis

Petrolatum

Severity 2/10EditorialComedogenic 0/5

occlusive · skin protectant · also known as petroleum jelly, vaseline

Is Petrolatum safe?

Petrolatum carries only minor concerns (cancer concern) at typical cosmetic levels.

In plain language

The most effective occlusive known and a staple of eczema care. The cancer concern belongs to unrefined industrial grades — pharmaceutical-grade petrolatum in cosmetics is rigorously purified.

A Caredermis plain-language explanation to help you read the label — not a regulator statement. The sourced facts are the classifications and status shown on this page.

Documented concerns

Concerns marked Editorialare Caredermis' own dermatological review; the rest are drawn from official data — see the cited sources ↓

Cancer concern

Editorial2/10

Concern applies only to unrefined grades containing PAHs; cosmetic grade is highly refined (EU-mandated).

Official regulatory status

Pulled directly from official regulatory datasets and expert reviews — not our own judgement.

EU cosmetics: Restricted

EU SCCS safety opinions

  • · Opinion concerning Chemical Ingredients in Cosmetic Products classified as Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or Toxic to Reproduction according to the Chemicals Directive 67/548/EECC
  • · Opinion concerning Chemical Ingredients in Cosmetic Products classified as Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or Toxic to Reproduction according to the Chemicals Directive 67/548/EEC
Read SCCS opinions ↗

Guidance by skin profile

Caredermis editorial guidance based on the concerns above — checked against the official records on every build, but not itself a regulator statement.

  • Sensitive skinNo specific concern
  • Oily & acne-proneNo specific concern
  • Dry skinNo specific concern
  • PregnancyNo specific concern
  • Babies & kidsNo specific concern
  • Eczema-proneNo specific concern

Sources

Each authority below is shown only because our ingested copy of its data lists Petrolatum — not because we asserted it. Follow a link to verify the classification or regulation directly.

See our methodology for how these map to concern levels. Informational only — not medical advice.

Products in our library containing Petrolatum

Related ingredients

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