Petroleum Jelly: Is it good or bad?

I was born and raised in Baguio City, a city seated atop a mountain. And since it is on top of a mountain the temperature can go down to 10-15 degrees Celsuis  during the cold months. This is already cold for a tropical county like ours. I used to have chapped and windburned lips during these months. Until I discovered the petroleum jelly. I used it everyday on my lips and served as my lip balm. When my husband and I worked in Shanghai, China in 2009, you can just imagine how much more I needed petroleum jelly then. But by that time I already have done some research about the product and this is what I found out:

Petroleum jelly is  being used as an ingredient in many of cosmetic products and moisturizers. And it has been used by millions of people since its discovery in the mid 1800's. But there have been arguments whether petroleum jelly is good or bad for your skin and whether it is carcinogenic.

What is Petroleum Jelly? 

Petroleum jelly, also known as Petrolatum, is the byproduct of oil drilling. It was discovered in 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, where this jellylike substance accumulated on the oil pumps. Until it was distilled into a wax in 1872.

Why is it said to be harmful to the skin?

• It suffocates the skin - therefore it keeps out air and moisture on your pores.
• It just give an illusion or false feeling of hydration but it does nothing to nurture, heal or restore moisture to the skin
• may cause premature aging as slows cellular regeneration
• since it is a thick emollient, it may cause breakouts or  aggravate acne and rosacea

What can we use instead?

There are a lot of natural alternatives in the market. There are products that use natural ingredients such as beeswax, coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter and cocoa butter that could deeply nourish and hydrate the skin.

I want to share a product that I've been using as an alternative to Petroleum jelly. 

Its Alba's Un-petroleum Jelly.  From the name itself you will notice it is "Un-petroleum" therefore there is no petrolatum in the ingredients.

Product Description: 

Alba Un-petroleum Jelly is the original, multi-purpose skin moisturizer made from only pure plant oils and all natural waxes

It soothes, moisturizes and softens the skin.

It is made without petroleum, paraffin, mineral oil, artificial fragrances or parabens. 

Hypo-allergenic

Here are the ingredients:

Castor seed oil, coconut oil, beeswax, hydrogenated castor oil, tocopheryl acetate and tocopherol (Vitamin E)

You can get this thru online stores as I don't see this at Healthy Options though they carry the brand of Alba. Of course it's available in the US. It's where I get my supply.

Thanks for reading!