Plants and the chemicals they made. What is petroleum?

Petroleum is a fossil fuel derived from fossilized organic materials. Fossils are leftovers of life that existed eons ago.  Petroleum is as natural as plants and animals that live right now. What is different is that the remains of all that old organic matter settled at the bottom of the sea or lakes or mud and in certain environment conditions including very little oxygen it decomposed first into something called kerogen, a waxy substance that includes fulvic acids and other solids, and then into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons.

So petroleum is as natural as me and the tress is my backyard. Why the “horror” of some people at the thought of using petroleum derivatives in skin care? No idea, but they are found in the most expensive skin care lines and the least expensive skin care products like the very useful petrolatum we use for diaper rash.

So if somebody tells you to stop using mineral oil in your skin care, send them back to study high school chemistry!

Is there anything wrong with using too much petroleum? Yes: by burning it when you use your car, the organic material is oxidizing to carbon dioxide (plus water) and contributing to the warming up of the atmosphere. through what is called the greenhouse effect. Too much carbon dioxide (and certain other gases) lead to the atmosphere retaining more heat. Carbon dioxide has increased from 340 ppm (parts per million) in the 1970s to about 405 (and raising) now.

But using mineral oil or petrolatum will help damaged skin retain water and heal faster and will not change the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere!