What Is Petrolatum?

FDA over-the-counter rules at 21 CFR 347.10 list petrolatum and white petrolatum, each at 30 to 100 percent, among skin protectant active ingredients, and define a skin protectant drug product as one that temporarily protects injured or exposed skin or mucous membrane surfaces from harmful or annoying stimuli and may help provide relief to those surfaces.

Refining matters in Europe. The EU cosmetics regulation lists petrolatum among prohibited substances, 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.

Using it inside the nose has been linked to lung problems. A 2016 case report in BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders describes exogenous lipoid pneumonia as a rare condition resulting from the aspiration or inhalation of fat-like material of animal, vegetable or mineral origin, and says physicians must be aware that it can develop from long-term application of petroleum-based oils and ointments to the nose and should discourage such use. A 2025 case report in Respirology Case Reports describes a patient who applied petroleum jelly inside her nose for nasal dryness and, after six months, had ground-glass opacities found on a routine chest CT scan.