Loading…
Petrolatum is permitted by the US FDA. Several countries restrict, warning-label, or have reviewed it for safety concerns. The US has more lenient additive rules than the EU, UK, Canada, and Japan, which is why this ingredient remains widely used here.
Fully refined white petrolatum (as used in cosmetics) is considered safe by the FDA and CIR, and is an FDA-approved OTC skin protectant. The EU restricts petrolatum unless full refining history is known due to concerns about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in inadequately refined grades. Cosmetic-grade petrolatum in the US undergoes extensive refining that removes PAHs. It does not penetrate the skin, is non-comedogenic in pure form, and has no evidence of systemic toxicity or endocrine disruption at cosmetic use.
Get a free Safe / Caution / Avoid score on any US food or beauty barcode, with EFSA + FDA citations.
Scan a product \u2192New scans, ingredient deep-dives, and safer-brand swaps. One email a week. No spam.
See the full Petrolatum deep-dive page for regulatory citations, products that contain it, and verified clean swaps.