How It's Made
Key facts
- Name on labels (INCI)
- Petrolatum
- Also called
- Petroleum jelly, White soft paraffin, Mineral jelly
- Grade to ask for
- White, USP/BP
Refined petroleum jelly.
What it does
- Occlusive
- Forms a water-resistant film on skin; a layer can reduce water loss by 50 to 75% for several hours.
- Emollient
- Softens dry or chapped skin and lips.
- Base for actives
- Stable and inert, it is a long-standing base for ointments and medicated balms.
- Texture and shine
- Gives hair creams and pomades their gloss and hold.
Products on How It's Made that use petroleum jelly
| Product | Its role there |
|---|---|
| Body lotion | Occlusive. A strong occlusive that forms a thin layer on the skin and slows the loss of water. |
| Lip balm | Occlusive. An occlusive that seals in moisture and shields dry or chapped lips. |
| Hair cream | Base. The base. It coats hair and scalp with an occlusive layer that slows moisture loss and adds shine. |
| Petroleum jelly | The jelly. The product itself. As an occlusive, a layer on skin can cut water loss substantially, which is why it protects dry or chapped skin. |
| Vapour rub | Base. |
On How It's Made, petrolatum is the main ingredient of petroleum jelly and appears in body lotion, hair cream, lip balm and vapour rub.
Grades and specifications
- White petrolatum USP/BP
- Highly refined, for skin care, baby care and medicines.
- Yellow and amber petrolatum
- Less refined; used in some industrial and lower-cost products.
- Hard and soft grades
- Different wax-to-oil ratios set the melting range, important for hot climates.
Handling, safety and regulation
Petrolatum is handled warm or melted for blending. Only fully refined grades should be used on skin; buyers ask for pharmacopoeia compliance and, for some markets, data on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Used in cosmetics and as a pharmaceutical excipient. Finished cosmetics in Nigeria require NAFDAC registration; medicinal ointments fall under pharmaceutical rules.
Where petroleum jelly comes from
Petrolatum is separated from petroleum residues at refineries by distillation and purified by filtration, the basis of the process since Robert Chesebrough began selling it in 1871. Cosmetic grades come from a limited number of refiners and are imported into Nigeria in drums or slabs for local blending.
Sourcing petroleum jelly through Matta
Send Matta a request with the grade, quantity and delivery location you need. For the wider category, see Matta's raw materials page.
Listings found on matta.trade, read 19 Oct 2026. Prices are a snapshot, not live; the listing is always the final word. Different suppliers and grades: compare prices only where the unit matches.
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