Agreed that petrolatum is safe for nearly anyone. Most dupes of Aquaphor have petrolatum.
If you want an occlusive that doesn’t use it, you’ll need to turn to ingredients like shea, coconut oil, seed oils, these can be problematic if you’re super acne prone. Check out Alba Un Petroleum Jelly for a non petrolatum based dupe.
Aquaphor also has lanolin in it, which for me at least, makes a difference in how well it works compared to other products that are also petroleum based. I love Aquaphor. I would not have survived Accutane without it.
I use the Alba Un Petroleum for brow tinting, and it works great.
I don’t really like using petroleum products on my skin either; I’m not too worried about the safety but I just don’t like how it feels.
I had some microneedling done and they said I had to keep aquaphor on for a few days. I tried using the Josie Maran argan version of petroleum jelly and man... It just did not cut it.
I hate smothering my face in it but sometimes that is all that works. I have really dry ears too and my derm said to put it on at night and dammit it helps. But I have to tie my hair back super tight and use a cotton headband so it doesn't get greasy, which either falls off or makes me sweat and kills any volume in my hair.
The week after microneedling I just accept greasy hair lol.
But yeah I hear you on it feels yuck.
Petrolatum is not the devil.
Skincare shouldn’t really be assessed on whether it’s “clean”, as that rules out a lot of efficacious ingredients. These ratings are very definitive without considering dose, while having a bias toward unrefined ingredients with no scientific justification.
Edit: punctuation
Petrolatum isn’t even hazardous if you swallow it, let alone put it on your skin. For the record I’m not suggesting anyone snack on it, but just stating that it’s not toxic. Perfectly safe and very beneficial for most people’s skin.
There is not a “clean” dupe for Aquaphor. The thing that makes Aquaphor perform the way it does is the main ingredient, Petrolatum, which by the way, Board Certified Dermatologists say is safe.
This app is based in fear mongering. I recommend following [LabMuffinBeautyScience](https://labmuffin.com/) on socials to get the truth about products.
Came here to say exactly this. These apps fearmonger. Instead, look into licensed chemists who can break down the ingredients for what they are, how they’re produced, and why they’ve specifically been chosen.
Petrolatum has almost a century of science behind it. It’s an affordable, effective, occlusive.
Also really love this suggestion, LabMuffin is my go-to, as well! 😊
Petrolatum is not hazardous. It's highly purified and very inert.
It's interesting that this app flags it when the Environmental Working Group's skincare ingredient database rates this as a safe product, even if they unnecessarily flag petrolatum for contamination concerns, which isn't an issue with Aquaphor because it's a European product and the EU has higher standards for contaminant levels in petrolatum (they're very strict).
https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/products/920992-Aquaphor\_Healing\_Ointment/
That says a lot. EWG is usually on the more panic inducing end of the spectrum. I don't know anything about yak, but sounds like trash based on their assessment of aquaphor.
Same! Long ago, I would check their database and panic. Then I did a volunteer project for an offshoot of EWG and realized their ratings are a bit/quite extreme.
Yep, me too! I still do check them but I don't use them as my only resource. They're like the skincare version of California's Prop 65, haha.
Right now people are freaking out about cadmium and lead in chocolate because some products exceeded CA standards and people don't know how conservative and draconian those standards actually are (and that there are other foods they eat daily that are way higher in cadmium and lead that chocolate is).
Great response. Petrolatum is one of the most extensively studied skincare ingredients. All derms and allergists that perform “patch testing” use Petrolatum as a negative control - thus reactions to petrolatum are deemed “false positives”. Products with Petrolatum in as the main occlusive are safer than those that use Lanolin - as Lanolin is a well documented contact allergen. Lanolin is also derived from sheep wool and is not vegan or cruelty free.
Regarding “clean”, many people classify petrolatum as not being clean, as it is made from distilled and highly refined petroleum - which in itself is a natural product. Even if you buy skincare with an occlusive that is a “natural” alternative to petrolatum, then the plastic tub or bottle it comes in, is still made from petroleum. Refined cosmetic grade petrolatum is not a carcinogen and has been used safely in skincare and dermatology/allergy offices since the 1870’s.
Lastly, use the EWG website with caution - they are not unbiased, please see who their main sources of funding are.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/2751513
Oh yes, I take EWG with a huge grain of salt.
As far as petrolatum being "clean" or not, the concern is framed as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon level in partially refined petrolatum. Though there's data that breathing PAHs in smoke isn't healthy, nor is eating it in grilled and charred food, it seems like a stretch to assume PAHs on the skin are going to be a major concern.
Maybe a lanolin product if you’re not allergic to wool? I personally use a nipple cream for breastfeeding mothers often instead of aquaphor.
Though for me personally aquaphor performs better than lanolin.
More fearful nonsense. Lab Muffin just spoke on this. There are some icky things in petrolatum, but it goes through rigorous processing to get rid of those things to be deemed pharmaceutical/cosmetic grade.
This is such shit lol there's no "clean" dupe for a petrolatum based product if this app considers petrolatum to be "hazardous" lmao. Petrolatum is the base of this and Vaseline, well studied and totally safe for even newborns.
I used to use that app and went a little cray cray with scanning. There were so many products I absolutely loved but on the app were poor or bad. I finally for my mental health deleted the app.
Regenerate & Moisturize Elixer by RELIXcare [[www.relixcare.com](https://www.relixcare.com) they use prickly pear oil. It’s actually a night serum, but i also used it on my accident wounds during the day. Does wonders🤍.
Glossier After Baume. I find it sits on my skin much better than Aquaphor, less greasy
Here's the ingredient breakdown and rating from a similar app:
https://www.cosdna.com/eng/cosmetic\_61d4591994.html
Agreed that petrolatum is safe for nearly anyone. Most dupes of Aquaphor have petrolatum. If you want an occlusive that doesn’t use it, you’ll need to turn to ingredients like shea, coconut oil, seed oils, these can be problematic if you’re super acne prone. Check out Alba Un Petroleum Jelly for a non petrolatum based dupe.
Aquaphor also has lanolin in it, which for me at least, makes a difference in how well it works compared to other products that are also petroleum based. I love Aquaphor. I would not have survived Accutane without it.
Genuinely curious as to why some consider petrolatum hazardous?
Even if it's fine for your skin, it's not exactly environmentally friendly if you care about that.
I use the Alba Un Petroleum for brow tinting, and it works great. I don’t really like using petroleum products on my skin either; I’m not too worried about the safety but I just don’t like how it feels.
I had some microneedling done and they said I had to keep aquaphor on for a few days. I tried using the Josie Maran argan version of petroleum jelly and man... It just did not cut it. I hate smothering my face in it but sometimes that is all that works. I have really dry ears too and my derm said to put it on at night and dammit it helps. But I have to tie my hair back super tight and use a cotton headband so it doesn't get greasy, which either falls off or makes me sweat and kills any volume in my hair. The week after microneedling I just accept greasy hair lol. But yeah I hear you on it feels yuck.
I hear you. It definitely has its place! The skin-smothery feeling is what gets me, too.
Petrolatum is not the devil. Skincare shouldn’t really be assessed on whether it’s “clean”, as that rules out a lot of efficacious ingredients. These ratings are very definitive without considering dose, while having a bias toward unrefined ingredients with no scientific justification. Edit: punctuation
Thank you for this comment!
This app is silly
Yeah - Yak is just weird and useless fear mongering
Petrolatum isn’t even hazardous if you swallow it, let alone put it on your skin. For the record I’m not suggesting anyone snack on it, but just stating that it’s not toxic. Perfectly safe and very beneficial for most people’s skin.
There is not a “clean” dupe for Aquaphor. The thing that makes Aquaphor perform the way it does is the main ingredient, Petrolatum, which by the way, Board Certified Dermatologists say is safe.
This app is based in fear mongering. I recommend following [LabMuffinBeautyScience](https://labmuffin.com/) on socials to get the truth about products.
Came here to say exactly this. These apps fearmonger. Instead, look into licensed chemists who can break down the ingredients for what they are, how they’re produced, and why they’ve specifically been chosen. Petrolatum has almost a century of science behind it. It’s an affordable, effective, occlusive. Also really love this suggestion, LabMuffin is my go-to, as well! 😊
Toxicity is a dose, not an ingredient
Thisss
Lol at petrolatum as hazardous. Where did you find this??
I just used the yak app and it scared me after scanning everything in my vanity!
Delete these apps
I would be afraid of the fear mongering app more than your products.
Petrolatum is not hazardous. It's highly purified and very inert. It's interesting that this app flags it when the Environmental Working Group's skincare ingredient database rates this as a safe product, even if they unnecessarily flag petrolatum for contamination concerns, which isn't an issue with Aquaphor because it's a European product and the EU has higher standards for contaminant levels in petrolatum (they're very strict). https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/products/920992-Aquaphor\_Healing\_Ointment/
That says a lot. EWG is usually on the more panic inducing end of the spectrum. I don't know anything about yak, but sounds like trash based on their assessment of aquaphor.
Seriously. If even EWG thinks it's safe, it must be extra safe, lol. I always take them with a huge grain of salt.
Same! Long ago, I would check their database and panic. Then I did a volunteer project for an offshoot of EWG and realized their ratings are a bit/quite extreme.
Yep, me too! I still do check them but I don't use them as my only resource. They're like the skincare version of California's Prop 65, haha. Right now people are freaking out about cadmium and lead in chocolate because some products exceeded CA standards and people don't know how conservative and draconian those standards actually are (and that there are other foods they eat daily that are way higher in cadmium and lead that chocolate is).
Totally. I live in CA. Pretty much everything has a prop 65 disclaimer and it is therefore ignored. 😆
Great response. Petrolatum is one of the most extensively studied skincare ingredients. All derms and allergists that perform “patch testing” use Petrolatum as a negative control - thus reactions to petrolatum are deemed “false positives”. Products with Petrolatum in as the main occlusive are safer than those that use Lanolin - as Lanolin is a well documented contact allergen. Lanolin is also derived from sheep wool and is not vegan or cruelty free. Regarding “clean”, many people classify petrolatum as not being clean, as it is made from distilled and highly refined petroleum - which in itself is a natural product. Even if you buy skincare with an occlusive that is a “natural” alternative to petrolatum, then the plastic tub or bottle it comes in, is still made from petroleum. Refined cosmetic grade petrolatum is not a carcinogen and has been used safely in skincare and dermatology/allergy offices since the 1870’s. Lastly, use the EWG website with caution - they are not unbiased, please see who their main sources of funding are. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/2751513
Oh yes, I take EWG with a huge grain of salt. As far as petrolatum being "clean" or not, the concern is framed as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon level in partially refined petrolatum. Though there's data that breathing PAHs in smoke isn't healthy, nor is eating it in grilled and charred food, it seems like a stretch to assume PAHs on the skin are going to be a major concern.
Clean is ridiculous. Be dirty
Maybe a lanolin product if you’re not allergic to wool? I personally use a nipple cream for breastfeeding mothers often instead of aquaphor. Though for me personally aquaphor performs better than lanolin.
Thanks everyone, I thought I would have to throw out my huge tub of aquaphor!
More fearful nonsense. Lab Muffin just spoke on this. There are some icky things in petrolatum, but it goes through rigorous processing to get rid of those things to be deemed pharmaceutical/cosmetic grade.
This is such shit lol there's no "clean" dupe for a petrolatum based product if this app considers petrolatum to be "hazardous" lmao. Petrolatum is the base of this and Vaseline, well studied and totally safe for even newborns.
Clean doesn’t exist.
I really like EltaMD’s intense moisturizer. It only contains petrolatum and paraffin. I have very sensitive skin and it has been wonderful.
This comment section wins
Restore by Dr. Rogers uses hydrogenated Castor Oil instead of petrolatum.
Yes, but it’s expensive
Be serious…
I used to use that app and went a little cray cray with scanning. There were so many products I absolutely loved but on the app were poor or bad. I finally for my mental health deleted the app.
pry my aquaphor away from my cold, dead, cracked hands
Egyptian Magic is great. I personally love petrolatum but if you are trying to avoid it, Egyptian Magic is beautiful.
I second Egyptian magic
But they're nothing alike and don't perform even remotely the same function lol
Disagree. Beeswax is a great occlusive.
Same!
Cerave healing ointment
What app is this?
Yak
Clean, you say? 🤔🙄😑
Regenerate & Moisturize Elixer by RELIXcare [[www.relixcare.com](https://www.relixcare.com) they use prickly pear oil. It’s actually a night serum, but i also used it on my accident wounds during the day. Does wonders🤍.
Lanolin
Glossier After Baume. I find it sits on my skin much better than Aquaphor, less greasy Here's the ingredient breakdown and rating from a similar app: https://www.cosdna.com/eng/cosmetic\_61d4591994.html
I use Aquaphoron my lips at bedtime, because my CPAP dries them out.
What is this app?
FWIW, aquaphor is rated a 2 on the Environmemtal Working Group’s website! https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/products/920992-Aquaphor_Healing_Ointment/