Guess which ingredient is the most maligned but…
…is used in the most expensive products?
Yes! Petrolatum. By any name, we are being overcharged for it while at the same time it is maligned and hidden away in long ingredient lists. Mineral oil, white oil, paraffin oil, liquid paraffin, and liquid petroleum, baby oil (a perfumed mineral oil). It is a mixture of alkanes (organic compounds made of just carbon and hydrogen) with nine or more carbons.
Why do I say overcharged? Look online for the pricing of the following products.
Dotcom balm: Petrolatum, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Beeswax, Lanolin, Flavor, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 33 Lake (CI 17200)
La Mer mositurizing cream: Algae (Seaweed) Extract, Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), Petrolatum, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Extract, Microcrystalline Wax, Lanolin Alcohol, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil, Magnesium Sulfate, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed, Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Seed Powder, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seedcake, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Meal, Sodium Gluconate, Potassium Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Calcium Gluconate, Magnesium Gluconate, Zinc Gluconate, Paraffin, Tocopheryl Succinate, Niacin, Beta-Carotene, Decyl Oleate, Aluminum Distearate, Octyldodecanol, Citric Acid, Cyanocobalamin, Magnesium Stearate, Panthenol, Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Denatured Alcohol, Fragrance.
Dior Rouge Baume Natural Lip Treatment: Octyldodecanol,mica,petrolatum,polyethylene,hydrogenated Dilinoleyl Alcohol,silica,polybutene,microcrystalline Wax,water,hydroxyethyl Ethylcellulose,methyl Glucose Sesquistearate,ethylcellulose,lauryl Pca,c20 40 Pareth 10,cholesterol,astrocaryum Murumuru Butter,coffee,squalane,linoleic Acid,tocopheryl acetate, glycerin, ethylhexylglycerin, polyglyceryl Isostearate, oleic Acid.
Why is petrolatum so ubiquitous? Because it is great at patching up a damaged skin barrier, and a damaged skin barrier is an all too frequent event for all of us. A scrape, some eczema, sun burn, exfoliation, almost anything will damage the barrier that protects our body from the “outside”: the environment.
Why is it so maligned? No idea, but it is has been called a “toxin” by some silly people with no understanding of chemistry, even when it is the most beneficial ingredient when the baby has diaper rash or when we get burned. Somehow, the fact that petrolatum is purified from petroleum has been misconstrued as the original sin. What is petroleum? Ancient fossil biomass.
Why didn’t we use petrolatum in our formulations? Mostly because we didn’t need it. We have very effective and emollient products that don’t have petrolatum in them. But if you crave the special “feel” of La Mer, just add a fingertip of Vaseline (bought at the supermarket at $2 for a huge jar) and mix it into your favorite Skin Actives product. Nothing wrong with that.
Now we started using just a hint of petrolatum in a product that needs it: our new make-up remover. Removing make-up without strong detergents is not an easy task, but petrolatum helps doing just that. Next time you use any make-up especially those that are a pain to remove, go for our Skin Actives make-up remover.