Yes, Aquaphor Healing Ointment contains petroleum. Its active ingredient is petrolatum (petroleum jelly), which makes up 41% of the product. The remaining 59% is a blend of other ingredients including mineral oil, lanolin alcohol, ceresin wax, glycerin, panthenol, and bisabolol.
What’s Actually in Aquaphor
Petrolatum is listed as Aquaphor’s sole active ingredient at a concentration of 41 grams per 100 grams, according to its FDA drug label. This is the same substance found in Vaseline, just at a lower concentration. Vaseline is 100% petroleum jelly, while Aquaphor uses it as a base and adds six other ingredients to enhance its skin-healing properties.
Those additional ingredients each serve a purpose. Mineral oil (also derived from petroleum) adds extra moisture. Ceresin is a mineral wax that gives the ointment its thick texture. Lanolin alcohol, sourced from animal skin oils, helps the product absorb into skin rather than just sitting on top. Glycerin draws moisture from the air into your skin. Panthenol, a form of vitamin B5, supports skin repair. Bisabolol, derived from chamomile, has soothing properties.
How the Petroleum in Aquaphor Works
Petrolatum doesn’t moisturize your skin the way a lotion does. Instead, it acts as a barrier that prevents water from escaping through your skin’s surface. What’s interesting is that it doesn’t just sit on top like a plastic wrap. Research published in the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists found that petrolatum actually penetrates into the spaces between cells in the outermost layer of skin, replacing the natural lipid barriers. This means it locks in moisture from within the skin’s structure rather than forming a simple film on the surface, and it still allows normal skin barrier recovery underneath.
This is why dermatologists frequently recommend petroleum-based ointments for everything from dry, cracked skin to post-procedure wound care. In a double-blind clinical study comparing Aquaphor to another topical emulsion after laser skin resurfacing, Aquaphor produced significantly less redness, less crusting, and faster skin regrowth. By day 4, skin treated with Aquaphor showed higher rates of new skin formation. At the study’s end, 75% of participants ranked Aquaphor as the treatment that helped their skin heal better and felt more comfortable.
Is the Petroleum in Aquaphor Safe
The safety concern people usually have with petroleum-based products relates to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. These are potentially harmful compounds found in crude petroleum. The petrolatum used in cosmetic and medical products like Aquaphor is a highly refined version called white petrolatum, which meets United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards. The USP specifically tests for PAH contamination using UV absorbance limits designed to detect these compounds. White petrolatum that passes these tests has had the problematic substances removed through refining.
The European Union has stricter regulations on petroleum-derived ingredients in cosmetics, which is partly why this question comes up so often. But the petrolatum in products sold in the U.S. as skin protectants, including Aquaphor, must meet pharmaceutical-grade purity standards. This is a different product from the industrial petroleum used in manufacturing.
One Ingredient Worth Knowing About
While petrolatum itself rarely causes allergic reactions, Aquaphor contains lanolin alcohol, which does trigger sensitivities in a small number of people. Research from the Mayo Clinic puts the prevalence of lanolin allergy between 1.8% and 6.3%, depending on testing methods. If you’ve ever had a reaction to wool-based products or other lanolin-containing creams, Aquaphor could cause redness, itching, or irritation. In that case, pure petroleum jelly (like Vaseline) gives you the same occlusive moisture barrier without the lanolin.
Aquaphor vs. Pure Petroleum Jelly
If your concern is simply whether to avoid petroleum, Aquaphor isn’t the product for you. Both Aquaphor and Vaseline are petroleum-based. The difference is what else they bring to the table. Vaseline is a single-ingredient product that excels at sealing in moisture and protecting skin from external irritants. Aquaphor’s additional ingredients, particularly glycerin and panthenol, give it mild humectant and skin-repairing properties that plain petroleum jelly lacks. This makes Aquaphor slightly better suited for healing damaged skin, while Vaseline works just as well as a basic moisture barrier.
For people who want to avoid petroleum entirely, plant-based alternatives exist using ingredients like shea butter, beeswax, or coconut oil. These create a less effective occlusive barrier than petrolatum but may align better with personal ingredient preferences.