Petrolatum: Comedogenic Rating & Safety Profile

Petrolatum is a occlusive with a low risk comedogenic profile (1/5) and safe irritancy (0/5). A semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons that forms an exceptional moisture barrier — the gold standard occlusive in dermatology.

What is Petrolatum?

Petrolatum (also called petroleum jelly or by the brand name Vaseline) is a semi-solid mixture of long-chain hydrocarbons refined from petroleum. White petrolatum (USP grade) is purified to pharmaceutical standards and is one of the most studied, most effective moisturising barriers in all of dermatology. It reduces transepidermal water loss by up to 99% — far more than any plant oil or butter — and is the gold-standard ingredient for slugging and barrier repair.

Comedogenic Rating: What 1/5 Means for Your Skin

Petrolatum is rated 0–1/5 comedogenic. Like mineral oil, the molecules are too large to enter follicles. It sits on top of the skin as a sealing layer rather than penetrating into pores. People who break out from slugging are usually reacting to something underneath the petrolatum (heavy oils, occlusive butters or fragrance) rather than to the petrolatum itself.

• Reduces transepidermal water loss by up to 99%
• Recommended by dermatologists for slugging
• Pregnancy-safe and infant-safe
• Non-comedogenic when used over clean skin

Petrolatum has one of the lowest allergy and irritancy profiles of any cosmetic ingredient. It is recommended by dermatologists, paediatricians and burn specialists for newborn skin, post-procedure recovery and severely dry or cracked skin. There are no documented systemic safety concerns at cosmetic purity grades.

Apply a thin layer as the final step of your evening routine to seal in serums and moisturisers (slugging). Use generously on cracked lips, hands and feet. Pregnancy-safe and infant-safe.

Petrolatum is in healing balms, slugging products, lip balms, nappy rash creams, eczema treatments and many barrier-repair ointments.

Found Petrolatum in your skincare?

Paste the full ingredient list into our INCI Analyser to see how this ingredient interacts with everything else in the formula.

Want the full picture on pore-clogging ingredients? Read our complete guide to comedogenic ingredients for the dermatology research behind the 0–5 scale and the full list of high-risk ingredients to avoid.

Sources

• American Academy of Dermatology
• Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)
• DermNet NZ

Written by ScanSkinAI Team · Last updated May 2026

This information is for educational purposes only. Always patch-test new products and consult a dermatologist if you have specific skin concerns.