Is petrolatum safe? Petroleum jelly rules, the refining question, and what reviews found
Where petrolatum is allowed
United States
PermittedFDA does not approve cosmetic ingredients before sale and does not list petrolatum among its prohibited or restricted cosmetic ingredients (page current as of February 2022). Separately, FDA's over-the-counter skin protectant rule (21 CFR 347.10) lists petrolatum and white petrolatum as active ingredients at 30 to 100 percent. [1, 2]
Canada
PermittedPetrolatum is not named on Health Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist (last modified August 2025). Health Canada says its safety has been reviewed by FDA and Health Canada, that cosmetic petrolatum is made from highly refined material, and that there have been no reports of unacceptable impurities such as PAHs in petrolatum in products it regulates. [3, 4]
European Union
Permitted with conditionsAnnex II of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 lists petrolatum (entry 904) as prohibited 'except if the full refining history is known and it can be shown that the substance from which it is produced is not a carcinogen'; entries 905 to 910 repeat this for oxidised, alumina-treated, hydrotreated, carbon-treated, silicic acid-treated and clay-treated variants. The BfR notes that for some other mineral-oil distillates the EU rules also accept a laboratory test (IP346); the petrolatum entries carry only the refining-history wording. [5, 6]
What is petrolatum?
Petrolatum is a soft, semi-solid mix of hydrocarbons refined from petroleum. The German risk institute (BfR) describes it as a mixture of at least one oil and at least one wax, mostly saturated hydrocarbons with chains longer than C25. Health Canada calls it mineral oil jelly, and FDA's skin protectant rules also list white petrolatum.
Refinement is the key point. Health Canada says cosmetic and drug petrolatum is made from highly refined material, while the BfR notes that technical-grade petrolatum, with more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), also exists.
Why it's used, and where you'll find it
Health Canada says petrolatum is used widely in cosmetics as a moisturizer and in over-the-counter drugs as a skin protectant. A 2025 review calls petrolatum-based emollients occlusive agents that prevent moisture loss.
What the research and regulators say
Why refinement is the key distinction
The BfR explains that the aromatic part of mineral oils could contain carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic compounds, and that refining steps such as hydrogenation reduce it. The IARC list places 'mineral oils, untreated or mildly treated' in Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans) and 'mineral oils, highly-refined' in Group 3, which IARC says means 'not classifiable' and is not a finding of non-carcinogenicity or safety. We did not find petrolatum itself named in that list. [6, 7, 8]
What regulators concluded about cosmetic-grade material
In a 2018 opinion on mineral oils meeting pharmaceutical purity requirements, the BfR said no health risks are expected from skin application. It noted that mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons are hardly absorbed by the skin and that no health effects had been reported despite years of daily use. It also described Health Canada's petrolatum assessment: analyses of a selection of cosmetics found only traces or none of 16 priority PAHs, and aromatic mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOAH) were not specifically addressed. [6]
A caution about grade
The BfR analysed 19 mineral-oil-containing products and four petroleum jellies. It found MOAH at 1.7% to 5% in the jellies, and about 1% to 4.5% in two care creams, a hair wax and a foot balm where petrolatum was the sole or first-listed mineral oil, against 0.007% to 0.3% in the other products. It said technical-quality petrolatum may have been used, and recommended national monitoring. Its no-risk conclusion is limited to pharmaceutical-purity grades. [6]
Pores, acne and allergy
A 2007 rabbit-ear study tested 14 cosmetic materials; its abstract says the first nine listed, including cocoa butter, were positive for comedones, and petrolatum was listed last, so not among them. Rabbit ears are not human skin. The abstract of a 2024 dermatology review says it details data on flammability, allergenicity and comedogenicity, dispelling misconceptions about petrolatum 'as a cause of acne'; we read the abstract only. A 2004 case report calls allergic contact dermatitis to white petrolatum a rare event. [9, 10, 11]
Who might choose to avoid it
Anyone with a confirmed reaction to petrolatum (reported as rare) has a reason to check labels. The sources we read did not single out other groups.
How to spot it on a label
Look for 'Petrolatum' (CAS 8009-03-8) in the ingredient list. Related mineral-oil ingredients appear under other names: paraffinum liquidum (liquid mineral oil), paraffin and cera microcristallina (microcrystalline wax). In the EU, petrolatum may be used only if the refining-history condition is met.
Check what's in your own productsScan a barcode or a label photo and Label X-Ray flags petrolatum and everything else in plain English, with your allergies checked automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Is petrolatum the same as petroleum jelly?
Yes. Petrolatum is the ingredient-list name for petroleum jelly, which Health Canada also calls mineral oil jelly. It is a mixture of oil and wax, unlike liquid mineral oil (paraffinum liquidum).
Is petrolatum safe?
Regulators allow it, with a refining condition in the EU. The BfR expects no health risk from skin use of pharmaceutical-purity mineral oils, and Health Canada says there have been no reports of unacceptable impurities in petrolatum in products it regulates. The BfR did find higher MOAH levels in some petrolatum products, so grade matters.
Does petroleum jelly cause cancer?
IARC lists untreated or mildly treated mineral oils in Group 1 and highly refined ones in Group 3 (not classifiable). The EU rule exists to keep poorly refined material out of cosmetics. We found no regulator conclusion that properly refined cosmetic petrolatum causes cancer.
Is petrolatum comedogenic (does it clog pores)?
In a rabbit-ear test it was not among the materials that caused comedones, and the abstract of a 2024 dermatology review says its data dispel the idea that petrolatum causes acne.
Is petrolatum banned in Europe?
No. It is allowed when the full refining history is known and the starting material is shown not to be a carcinogen (Annex II, entry 904 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009).
Related ingredients
Sources
- U.S. FDA — Prohibited & Restricted Ingredients in Cosmetics (accessed 2026-10-20)
- eCFR (U.S. Government) — 21 CFR 347.10: Skin protectant active ingredients (Part 347, Skin Protectant Drug Products for Over-the-Counter Human Use) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Health Canada — Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist: Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Health Canada — Safety of Cosmetic Ingredients (accessed 2026-10-20)
- EU Publications Office (EUR-Lex consolidated text) — Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, consolidated text of 1 May 2026 (Annex II entries 904 to 910) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) — Highly refined mineral oils in cosmetics: Health risks are not to be expected according to current knowledge (BfR Opinion No. 008/2018) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- IARC (WHO) — IARC Monographs: List of Classifications (data dated 23 July 2026) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- IARC (WHO) — IARC Monographs Preamble (2019) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- PubMed (Cutan Ocul Toxicol) — Comedogenicity in rabbit: some cosmetic ingredients/vehicles (accessed 2026-10-20)
- PubMed (J Am Acad Dermatol) — Petroleum jelly: A comprehensive review of its history, uses, and safety (accessed 2026-10-20)
- PubMed (J Dermatol) — Allergic contact dermatitis to white petrolatum (accessed 2026-10-20)
- PubMed (Clin Pediatr) — Safety of Petroleum-Based Emollients in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis (accessed 2026-10-20)
This page summarizes what regulators and published research say, as of the review date above. Rules and evidence change; check the linked sources for the latest. It is general information, not medical advice — talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own health.