Katie’s Conundrum:
Hey Beauty Brains! Love your site, I’ve found it recently but I’m addicted. I have a question about the-one-and-only Vaseline. I use itfor everything: lips, removing eye makeup, and as an lash conditioner. But I’ve been hearing that petroleum jelly is really bad for you, even claiming to cause breast cancer after long term use! What’s your say?I knew I could count on you! 
Thanks!
The Left Brain’s Greasy Guff
What a great question and one that many of your fellow Beauty Brainiacs wonder about too. The quick answer is this¦nonsense! There is no evidence that petroleum jelly causes breast cancer, skin cancer, or any other type of cancer. The people that are telling you it does are either misinformed, misguided or liars.
So, here`s the bottom line on Vaseline, aka petroleum jelly, aka petrolatum. It was first discovered in the late 1850`s and was later patented and sold to the general public in 1872. These facts are just included to show that it`s been around and used for a long time. This doesn`t prove that it`s perfectly safe, but it certainly is compelling evidence.
What is it? It is a by-product from the production of oil. In technical terms, it is a complex combination of hydrocarbons obtained as a semi-solid from dewaxing paraffinic residual oil. It consists predominantly of saturated crystalline and liquid hydrocarbons having carbon numbers predominately greater than C25.
What is it used for? In the beauty business, it is one of the best performing occlusive moisturizing ingredients you can use on your skin. No material has been shown to be better at improving skin moisture levels. The problem with this material is that it feels greasy, so cosmetic chemists spend a lot of time and effort trying to make less greasy feeling lotions that moisturize.
Is it safe? After combing through the published medical evidence over at PubMed we could find no studies that linked petroleum jelly to any cancers whatsoever. If someone is claiming such a link, it is not being done by a reputable scientific research organization. If you are curious, read this safety data that manufacturers of petroleum jelly must provide to users.
In Europe (EU) the only restriction on the use of this material is that you have to have a certification from the producer of petroleum jelly that it is free of carcinogens. This is required because SOME methods of production can result in petroleum jelly mixtures that have known cancer causing ingredients in them.
Beauty Brain`s bottom line.
Petroleum jelly will not cause cancer. It is perfectly safe and is an excellent ingredient for skin and hair care products. If someone`s telling you different ask them what they are trying to sell. No doubt, some natural alternative. Nonsense.
And if you`re curious, here are a host of other fun applications for petroleum jelly.
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I’m afraid Beauty Brains gives itself away when it publishes the idea that an association such as the Cosmetics & Toiletries Association has no agenda but “The things you have read are most likely written by small natural/organic companies who want to trick you into buying their products. Please don’t fall for their ploys.” Ooh, those nasty, conniving small natural/organic companies! What a laugh!
I’ll not be stopping by this site again.
And congratulations to Natalie for starting this ball rolling but not to Midbrain who tries to shame Natalie and her parents because the website shows her online at 1am. Chances are she’s in a different time zone.
@jen – who said CTFA didn’t have an agenda and what does that have to do with whether petroleum jelly causes cancer or not?
Considering the majority of arguments here commit an ad hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy, consider these scientific facts: anything above C25 is too big of a molecule to be absorbed, and contamination comes through the external refinement or interference with the product. However, as a sealant, it keeps in contaminants (in your skin, for example), and prevents them from escaping. At the end of the day, if it works for you, well done, if not, just…don’t use it. Cope.
am i being stupid or has the beauty brian totally contradicted themselved with the paragraph ‘In Europe (EU) the only restriction on the use of this material is that you have to have a certification from the producer of petroleum jelly that it is free of carcinogens. This is required because SOME methods of production can result in petroleum jelly mixtures that have known cancer causing ingredients in them.’ So basically there is a risk of carcinogens in petrolium jelly for those unlucky ones outside the EU?
Why do so many cosmetics on the market now state ‘free from mineral oils’?
Thanks for posting this. I have a toddler with eczema, and Vaseline seems to be the only thing that relieves his itching. I also use it when he has a diaper rash, and it works great. I have a friend who is a pharmacist and has a toddler with VERY bad eczema. She is an extremely contientious “green” mom and does her research. She took her daughter to Emory University’s allergy center for help with the eczema. For a moisturizer, they recommended Vaseline. That’s what she uses, and she’s who recommended it to me.
Those of you who really care about the risks should read this:
http://preventcancernow.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/cancer-pcn-1.pdf
I know there is a lot of controversy surrounding the use of petrolatum in skincare, but I have to weigh in on this one. The gist of my post here is, you can’t argue with results. I am 42 years old and have been putting Vaseline on my face nightly since I was 12. I have not one single line or even the beginning of one ANYWHERE, and my skin is and always has been clear firm and glowing. I live in a college town and am often taken for a student. This having had absolutely no cosmetic ‘help’ of any kind, such as botox or whatever peels people get to help their skin. I did not have a problem with acne or clogged pores when I was of the age most likely to be bothered by such things – my teens and early 20′s, well into my usage of supposedly pore-clogging, toxic Vaseline. I have often been asked over the years what I do to my skin, and when I tell people, they are surprised but – bored I guess is the word. They always want to know what ‘else’ I do, what the real secret is. I often have ended up recounting or writing down my entire skin-care regiment (essentially further boring self-prescribed and mainly old-fashioned natural treatments). I experimented with a lot of other things in terms of moisturizers but nothing ever compared to the Vaseline, so I’ve just kept using it. I am allergic to sunblock, so my skin has not even had the benefit of that over time and still it remains in good shape due to what I can only assume is the perpetual application of petrolatum.
I have researched it a lot myself, knowing all the concerns out there, and here, for what its worth, is my take:
Yes its non-renewable. All the more reason to make good use of what would otherwise be a waste product. The refinement process may be bad for the environment, but the production of petroleum jelly is not, of itself, the purpose of that process; in otherwords, people would refine petroleum anyway, we might as well make good use of the byproducts, otherwise we are really creating waste for no reason.
Petroleum jelly in its purified state contains no carcinogens, comedogens, sensitizers or anything harmful (comfrey, on the other hand… look it up). BUT – you MUST use only the kind that is labelled as 100% USP. That means “United Standard of Purity” – it has been purified to pharmaceutical-grade standards. It should have virtually no smell. It MUST say this on the label or you cannot be sure. The problem is that cosmetics companies do not have to tell you on the label from whence they source their product, so for all you (and they) know, it could be a source whose refinement process adds or fails to remove harmful substances. This is why I would AVOID any PRODUCT that contains petrolatum or mineral oil unless you can confidently ascertain its source. That is also why, even though it was banned in the UK several years ago, even they had to admit that properly processed material was safe and made legal exceptions for companies that could obtain certification that they sourced theirs from someplace that did refine it to a point of acceptable purity (which again is what we do here in the U.S. with the USP designation).
Animal testing: this is a big consideration for me as I am a vegetarian. According to my research, virtually EVERYTHING is tested on animals at some point and to some degree. If not the actual ingredient itself, then most likely components of it are or have been. Especially ‘new’ discoveries of the industry. So your best bet at minimizing the impact you have here if it is a concern of yours is to try as much as possible to keep your usage to ingredients of long-standing wide-spread use, things that are so familiar to the industry that there is no longer any need to test them because their properties and effects are so well-known already. Petroleum jelly is a major example of such an ingredient, having been around I believe about 160 years or so.
Regardless of all implications to the contrary, it is from a natural source. The refining process may be unnatural (but not, I would venture, more unnatural than say running rose or jasmine petals through hexane in order to distill their fragrance, which is the only way to extract the essential oils from these flowers) but crude oil is a product of dinosaur bones which are, whether we like it or not, as natural as anything else. (Since the dinosaurs were already long dead and not killed in the process there is no conflict for me with the vegetarianism, in case anyone is wondering).
I also use petroleum jelly to heal cuts and burns – its magic, they heal overnight practically. I put it on my kids with abandon; it is the only thing that has helped my daughter’s eczema. Over the years I have met or heard of a handful of women who look astoundingly youthful for their ages, and when questioned every SINGLE one of them has said she uses straight petroleum jelly on her face as a moisturizer (often combined with rosewater in the unofficial ‘sample’ of women I’ve come across. I use it too. Maybe there is some significance to that too, I don’t know).
Petroseum jelly gets SUCH a bad rap but I just have to say, I am so glad I discovered it young and ignored all the negativity about it because it had done me nothing but good.
I have just read every comment on this page.
WHAT THE HECK.
I have never seen so many credulous marks outside of a psychic fair. What is going on with this page? How is it attracting so many cranks?
Or is this just what normal people are like?
The Internet has a tendency to create polarized views which you almost never see in real life. Completely normal people can become quite odd when they get online.
Petroleum has been banned as an ingredient in beauty products in the EU (European Union) due to research showing its possible link to cancer.
Here in the US african american women have a higher risk for a more aggressive form of breast cancer, while hair products for african americans ALL contain petroleum in one form or another. Studies have found petroleum by-products in breast tissue of cancer patients at 2x the levels of women without cancer.
I think the evidence clearly points to a risk. There is no smoking gun yet, but the risk has been clearly defined.
“Petroleum has been banned as an ingredient in beauty products in the EU (European Union) due to research showing its possible link to cancer.”
That is just not true.
HI, I would give you all a suggestion that why do u want to use petroleum products when they are not good for the environment. If petroleum jelly was so gr8 then why didnt the egyptians found it. ah ha. Because they know that petroleum sux.. they were a far advanced society thats why theycould build such massive pyramids. So, the egyptiand use to use vegetable oils cause the oils penetrate deeper into the skin tissue instead of blocking the moisture in the skin it moisturizes your skin from within and keeps it healthy too.. like almond oil, jojoba, grapeseed, olive, wheatgerm, apricot, avacado oils and many more.. Wow what a gr8 natural solution so fuck petrolem man… why take chances on fools who make their money with our lives.
Thanks
Tarun
Wow, this discussion is remarkable! I’ve read quickly through, what, two years of debate, which means that sweet, passionate natalie must be about 13 by now. I think I’ve absorbed the gist of what all the contributers think and feel on the issue of vaseline/petroleum jelly/white petrolatum as a skin care product or at least an ingredient. I’m not skilled at using logic (as in philosophy) or for completely understanding the scientific method, onus of proof, triangulation, etc. as in what researches need to be doing when they do research. I like the common sense points that many have made, such as beautyphilosopher’s biographical-based insight about “if is has a smell…” or odour. I do remember my mother having a jar of the Vaseline FOREVER (it used to be a family joke between my brothers and I, wondering how long she’d had that jar, if it ever would run out and what did she use it for??? Talk about exposure to bacteria and contaminants!!).
At any rate, I know there are many naturally based products out there for excema, which I have a mild case of and for which I often use vaseline to calm it down. Even plant-based, natural products can be powerful and one needs to be careful about how to use them. The fact that petroleum jelly is a by-product (like sliced cheese) of processing crude oil (or whatever it’s called, forgive my ignorance) does make it guilt-inducing even if the oil is not being processed so that we can have vaseline!
One think I do not understand and would like to know the answers to, is what the terminology on the websites and links posted in previous responses means… like when the authors of that article posted by Marie Anders show in their chart the terms “possible” or another one was “persistent” (from that Skin Deep website)… and when Irenaeus writes “…contamination comes through the external refinement or interference with the product…” I’m wanting to understand what that means, but even my highly skilled ability to infer meaning is getting stretched!!
With much respect and admiration,
Willasmom
The product is safe as long as it is not INGESTED. That is the problem with lip gloss and lipstick. Moisturizers are also absorbed through the skin as well, so in essence they are also being ingested into our bodies.
WoW. This is amazing I must say and impelled me to make a comment. I’ve learned a lot about petroleum in the past couple days from this website and others and my stance is, I’m going to keep using it as the need arises. On another page under the comments, a woman said her friend who had Breast Cancer was told by the Mayo Clinic to use Vaseline as a deodorant and it works amazingly. How curious. Naysayers clain it causes cancer, yet a nationally well known Clinic is telling a woman who had cancer to use it, on her underarms let alone. Hm. You’d think if there was any true fact based notion that this product could even remotely cause cancer they wouldn’t even think of it!
How tricky things are.
Its hard here on the net, in public forums such as these to really know the truth with so many conflicting ideas. I’m in the school of thought, that, what harm can it do? Others have said it cannot sink into the skin because of its nature and many have been using it for years with good affect.
It seems to do quite a lot of good, not only for skin but if you check around there are a plethora of other, some surprising, uses.
So for those who do not want to use it on their skin, you could find the other ways to use it and make the most out of the natural resource.
Also, love the comments where people are listing all that is potentially harmful.
Man has dominated man to his injury. (Ecclesiastes 8:9) is this not the case, especially here.
I just wondered recently, at what point did we have to start processing foods for example and then making cars which produced gases, and the list goes on and on and on. People are destroying the earth and themselves, I do it too, everyone does.
Not to make this religious, but, not only is it “man’s” fault, the ruler of the world is in control 1 John 5:19 “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” God promises that soon though he will “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.”-Revelation 11:18
Gods kingdom will put an end to human rulership and those who along with the ruler of this world abuse the earth. God will rescue the earth and people who obey his requirements according to his word. Isaiah 45:18 “For this is what Jehovah has said, the Creator of the heavens, He the [true] God, the Former of the earth and the Maker of it, He the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it to be inhabited: “I am Jehovah, and there is no one else” (Genesis 1:28; 9:1; Psalm 115:16) and Psalm 37:29: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.”(Psalm 37:9-11; Proverbs 2:21-22)
It wasn’t my goal to talk about the Bible here, but it lent itself well.
Soon, all of the wrongs will be made right through Gods Kingdom (Daniel 2:44) and there will be no need to worry about cancer, sickness, death, wars etc.. When God puts an end to all suffering here on earth- Revelaton 21:4
Its Something to look forward to for people who care about themselves, others and the earth, an earth free of pollution and we can live how God meant us to live; healthy and happy.
WoW. This is amazing I must say and impelled me to make a comment. I’ve learned a lot about petroleum in the past couple days from this website and others and my stance is, I’m going to keep using it as the need arises. On another page under the comments, a woman said her friend who had Breast Cancer was told by the Mayo Clinic to use Vaseline as a deodorant and it works amazingly. How curious. Nay-sayers claim it causes cancer, yet a nationally well known Clinic is telling a woman who had cancer to use it, on her underarms let alone. Hm. You’d think if there was any true fact based notion that this product could even remotely cause cancer they wouldn’t even think of it!
How tricky things are.
Its hard here on the net, in public forums such as these to really know the truth with so many conflicting ideas. I’m in the school of thought, that, what harm can it do? Others have said it cannot sink into the skin because of its nature and many have been using it for years with good affect.
It seems to do quite a lot of good, not only for skin but if you check around there are a plethora of other, some surprising, uses.
So for those who do not want to use it on their skin, you could find the other ways to use it and make the most out of the natural resource.
Also, love the comments where people are listing all that is potentially harmful.
Man has dominated man to his injury. (Ecclesiastes 8:9) is this not the case, especially here.
I just wondered recently, at what point did we have to start processing foods for example and then making cars which produced gases, and the list goes on and on and on. People are destroying the earth and themselves, I do it too, everyone does.
Not to make this religious, but, not only is it “man’s” fault, the ruler of the world is in control 1 John 5:19 “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” God promises that soon though he will “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.”-Revelation 11:18
Gods kingdom will put an end to human rulership and those who along with the ruler of this world abuse the earth. God will rescue the earth and people who obey his requirements according to his word. Isaiah 45:18 “For this is what Jehovah has said, the Creator of the heavens, He the [true] God, the Former of the earth and the Maker of it, He the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it to be inhabited: “I am Jehovah, and there is no one else” (Genesis 1:28; 9:1; Psalm 115:16) and Psalm 37:29: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.”(Psalm 37:9-11; Proverbs 2:21-22)
It wasn’t my goal to talk about the Bible here, but it lent itself well.
Soon, all of the wrongs will be made right through Gods Kingdom (Daniel 2:44) and there will be no need to worry about cancer, sickness, death, wars etc.. When God puts an end to all suffering here on earth- Revelation 21:4
Its Something to look forward to for people who care about themselves, others and the earth, an earth free of pollution and we can live how God meant us to live; healthy and happy.
As an Rn, I have studied health, chemicals and toxicology for almost 30 years. The first page of this article shows a link to http://www.pubmed.gov that found no link to cancers. I disagree. If you follow that link provided by this website, you’ll find several studies that looked at cancers of the esophagus, skin, colon, kidney, breast and lung. There are too many to show each link and each consumer needs to do their own research from reliable sources. Search petroleum jelly on pubmed.gov and scroll down to find them. One is on the lung disease called lipoid pneumonia.
The writers of this website and this column obviously didn’t know what to look for when they provided the very research they are seeking.
Petroleum (petrolatum) comes from hydrocarbons which, are chemical compounds found in CRUDE OIL, they are combustible, flammable as a fuel source.
When there are companies that offer pure, safe, economically friendly alternatives, why on earth would anyone want to wait and see what happens. All you really need to do is watch your own local obituaries to find out that more and more younger people are dying every day.
The FDA just doesn’t force companies to stop using these ingredients YET, but they will. As soon as the public pays attention and stops companies like this. Buyer Beware.
Petroleum jelly and any other parabens is considered a Xenoestrogen which mimics estrogen in your body. Too much estrogen DOES lead to illnesses and can cause cancer. Every time you turn on the television nowadays doctors tell you to NOT put it on your body.
Look up XENOESTROGENS on the internet. Parabens are found in lipsticks and other cosmetics, body washes and lotions, shampoos. I would NEVER use a paraben on my skin. They even put it in some baby lotions. Parabens are outlawed in almost every other country in the world other than the USA. No wonder the USA ranks #32 in health care. We don’t look for natural living…only pharmaceutical.
Ladies…shop at your health food stores and ask them to show you Paraben-free products for your skin and cosmetics. I do not use parabens and have wonderful cosmetics. I use Nature Clean Laundry Powder which you can find online. I use 1/4 cup of White Vinegar as a fabric softener which works wonderful to stop the sudsing action of the laundry powder and you will not smell it on your clothes.
What you put on your skin is absorbed 10 times greater than what you ingest. Xenoestrogens are the cause of breast cancers and ovarian cancers.
It is horrible to put parabens on a child. Their systems cannot take what an adults can take.
God made us beautifu and natural. You were not made to absorb such harmful chemicals on your body.
Petroleum jelly is a gasoline derivative. Don’t ever put it on your body.
Denise, I really dont get what you are saying, that you put on skin absorves 10 times grater than that you ingest??? go figure!!!. You will never find that in a scientific article.
Not everything you read in internet is true, just think about it. Being a little skeptical would help.
Petroleum jelly… Best used to cover areas you don’t want paint or car grime to get on. Women in doubt better not use it as a vaginal lubricant either – you definitely don’t want zits down there, cos petroleum jelly blocks skin from oxygen like BP’s crude oil!
ok, seriously, i’ve used vaseline for years. My whole family has and none of them has gotten cancer for it. even if it did, i still wouldn’t get cancer. Cancer is for the weak-minded.
Petroleum Jelly has been found to be present in higher amounts in people with breast cancer,that is a fact! Cannot believe these companies, people do not listen to this bullshit. Watch Dr OZ!
According to Dr. Oz, the problem with petroleum jelly is ingesting it. He said that the average woman ends up eating 7 pounds per year due to lip products. He also said that it is banned in beauty products in the European Union and it has been linked to breast cancer.
I am no scientist and I have no strong feelings either way but since this seems like a possible carcinogen and the US government is notoriously slow in protecting us from things like this, I will switch to bee’s wax products.
@tgrah – you either misheard Dr. Oz or he is incredibly misinformed. You do not eat 7 pounds of lip products per year. You don’t even put 7 pounds on your lips in a year!! Do the math. There is 0.8 ounces in one tube of lipstick. To eat 7 pounds of lipstick (assuming you just ate the whole stick), you would need to eat 140 tubes of lipstick.
Do you actually use 140 tubes of lipstick in a year? I don’t think so.
Also, petroleum jelly is not banned in Europe nor has it been linked to breast cancer.
Fascinating subject and posts! I do own a “natural” skin care company and do not use petroleum, but based on the research, I have never felt that it was carcinogenic. I just believe there are better options (such as natural oils) for moisturizing purposes. It does amaze me how so much misinformation is out there; I too recently read on someone’s site that petroleum is banned in the Europe. While you mention that companies are required to submit information as to their petroleum sources, it is not banned. So, that statement without putting it into context, is blatantly false. It is great to learn both sides of the story. Thanks!
Holy mackerel. First of all, I cannot personally recommend getting your health information from Dr. Oz. http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/orl-ct10may25,0,875772.story I might be willing to consider what he has to say if it relates directly to cardiothoracic surgery, which is his area of expertise and in which he was trained, but from what I can tell, he has not had a good track record of sticking to the evidence (and the recommendations that the majority of other practicing physicians believe could be scientifically supported) about the other far-flung topics about which he attempts to “educate” the public.
Secondly, as to petrolatum being categorically banned in cosmetics in EU, it is absolutely false. Please see the following document. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1976L0768:20070919:EN:PDF On page 17, you will see the title, “LIST OF SUBSTANCES WHICH MUST NOT FORM PART OF THE
COMPOSITION OF COSMETIC PRODUCTS.” On page 45, you will find petrolatum (petroleum jelly), 904-910, which notes the qualification, “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.”
As far as whether petrolatum causes cancer, you might be interested in the following document from the international agency for research on cancer (which happens to be based in europe), http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol33/volume33.pdf Petrolatum is covered under mineral oils, “class 5.” Unless you plan to inject your petroleum jelly intraperitoneally (and do it a lot), there is no evidence whatsoever of any cancer risk.
I think many people get petroleum jelly confused with crude oil and all the nasty pollutants of its refinement and use. On the molecular level, its a different thing all together (for example, cocaine and caffeine share quite a few molecular similarities, but the small differences make one mild and the other illegal).
I would not advice people slather themselves in it, but its use for occasional lip balm and makeup remover shouldnt be that big of a deal. I personally prefer a light application of coconut oil or jojoba oil, but that’s hard to carry in your purse.
The real harm is to the enviroment which comes from the refinement of crude oil (and PJ is only one of many by-products). In other words, nobody refines oil ONLY to make Vaseline. For those of you stating that using natural oils and waxes instead of PJ is better for the environment, I would like to remind you that those oils had to be extracted SOMEHOW and that would have probably taken more energy (likely from crude oil) than PJ.
I now use a blend of olive oil and PJ for skin lotion after reading the label on this container of lotion.
This is a partial list of ingredients in a container of baby lotion: Water purified, propylene glycol, glyceryl stearate SE, myristyl myristate, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, isopropyl palmitate, canola oil, silica, corn starch, tocopheryl acetate, etc… ending with stearic acid, carbomer, cholecalciferol, polysorbate 60, sodium hydroxide, quarternium 15, stearamidopropyl PG- dimonium chloride. This is in baby’s lotion people!!! Go ahead and pronounce some of those ingredients. Are we still worried about petroleum jelly?
PURE NATURAL CRUDE OIL has benzene too: http://engforum.pravda.ru/showthread.php?287858-British-Petroleum-Poisonous-Benzene-Coverup-In-Gulf-Of-Mexico And benzene, is cancer-causing.
Cancer incidence of workers in the Swedish petroleum industry:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1128845/
Kidney cancer:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1520011/
Tom Hunt, former chairman of Hunt Petroleum, dies of cancer (karma?) http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/111208dnmettomhunt.1a1707051.html
EWG Study points to cancer-risk from petroleum-based cosmetics http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/Formulation-Science/Study-points-to-cancer-risk-from-petroleum-based-cosmetics
Hydrocarbons (PAHs), which is in petroleum, are dangerous when breathed in. http://ww.myqute.com/2010/08/petroleum-health-vicks-vapor-rub-causes-pneumonia/
Petroleum-Based Cosmetics and Skin Care Products Found to Contain Cancer-Causing Chemical 1,4-Dioxane http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4572.cfm
I totally believe in this,”Never put on your skin what you’re not willing to put in your stomach.”
Petroleum is just one of them. It still isn’t ethical cosmetic manufacturers continue to place other chemicals in babies’ products…just because the law allows it.
Hey, beautybrains, the “safety data” link you provided is gone, all I see is “page not found”
Waxelene is a natural substitute for petroleum jelly, and doesn’t have any petroleum products in it. Whether you are absolutely sure if petroleum jelly is healthy or not, why not choose something made with beeswax, natural healthy plant oils and vitamin E, instead of a petroleum byproduct with a questionable background?
Waxelene is a natural substitute for petroleum jelly, and doesn’t have any petroleum products in it. Whether you are absolutely sure if petroleum jelly is healthy or not, why not choose something made with beeswax, natural healthy plant oils and vitamin E, instead of a petroleum byproduct?
Reality is the byproduct of belief.
Let me explain. If you believe that Vaseline causes cancer then you will tell people that it causes cancer. These people are either active, in which case they already believe the same or that you are wrong, or passive, in which case they will can be easily convinced that you are speaking the truth.
The message that you believe in will spread like a disease. Whether it is accepted or not does not matter. Your belief will be studied and criticized, accepted and rejected. As more people accept it, they will spread the message. As more people deny it, they to will spread the counter message. Either way, the idea under dispute gains more exposure.
Eventually, the idea reaches the ranks of authority. These are the people in human society whom we trust. When they say something, things change. We have entrusted them to do the critical thinking so we don’t have to. They report it, we skim over it and make a decision. Did we truly understand the total structure and all of the intricacies of the experiments? No… one subject takes a lifetime to master, and there are countless billions of subjects. But we are content with our belief when we can recite the general overview as evidence when called upon.
Let’s not forget that the respected individuals in our society are still human beings like us. Let me repeat that one more time so your brain can fully absorb it. The respected individuals in our society are just human beings like you and me. The people that we place our trust in are just like us! The only difference is that they have more knowledge on a specific subject and their name starts with Dr.
What are we like? Let me be honest for a second: We lie, we fudge answers when we’re not prepared, we try to protect our reputation, we do what is in our best interest when times get rough. More or less, all people are like this. If you don’t accept this, then you are not a human being, you are in denial, or you are Jesus.
So respected individuals are human beings huh? They prepare reports on their findings eh? They are human beings that are receptive to the senses aren’t they. They can formulate opinions just as we do. And their conclusions can reflect their opinions. And conclusions are accepted by many as absolute truth. By many in authority, and many without authority. More believers, more believers, more believers.
(By the way, by this point in the narration, I have assumed that people are believing that Vaseline is carcinogenic) By this point, the majority is beginning to believe. There is now an aggressive division between those who believe and those who do not believe. Those who believe will sabotage production facilities in an attempt to deliberately cause carcinogens to enter Vaseline. Among other things, they stop at nothing to manifest the truth in their belief.
Those who disbelieve will alter data and corrupt experiments to create the illusion that Vaseline is safe. They will similarly attempt to manifest the truth in what they believe by the means of scientific persuasion.
What is the reality of things? We still have not proved either way. But there are now two heated parties ready to go to war. Eventually, they do go to war. One party is killed off and the remainder is of believers. Now that everyone in existence believes that Vaseline is carcinogenic, it becomes reality.
You may counter-argue, “No, just because everybody believes in something doesn’t mean it is true.” But, you may not counter-argue, because you are already dead.
Why does petroleum jelly always seem to take us to a really weird place?
Wow.. I totally agree with 123kid … For about 2 years ,this ‘WÁR’ here .. is going to end ..
hey beautybrains,
this is the first time i’ve been on your website, but i feel like i kind of trust you. can you tell me for sure if vaseline is even slightly cancerous? all those comments up there have made me doubtful. :/
@Erice – Vaseline is not even slightly cancerous.
My great aunt has used it for 60 years and she’s 80, still no cancer. She puts it on her face every night. No cancer, but great skin!!!
Boy, and I just googled ‘ingredients for vaseline’ What a lot of comments. In my day – yea I’m probably older than the lot of you – my mom used to rub vaseline on my rear end to stop rashes and dryness. To date, I do not have bum cancer or any other for that matter.
i’m really worried wether it does or doesn’t! i use it all the time, i’ve heard it’s really good for dry lips, ect.. but i dunno wether to stop using it! people say its good people say it’s bad ! please help.
A, don’t worry. There is nothing unsafe in it, and it will moisturize your lips. When it comes to these things, don’t listen to what “people” say, you’ll get every kind of answer. We’ve all been there. The reason the beauty brains is here is to get a scientific perspective so you can cut through the rumor and speculation on the internet. You might also like the personal care truth site.
It’s 2011 —does anyone have an update on “Petroleum Jelly” being link/causing “cancer”? It’s been almost (2) years, since anyone has responded.
My guess, “PJ” does NOT cause cancer.
Idk, i believe Vaselines great… but beauty people, ya’ll sounds like a bunch of dumb blonds trying to counter act what a lot of genius people here are saying…
i use vas a lot for an#l s#x … i am concerned that internal use will leed to vas clogging my liver and kidney …
I don’t really know if pj is good or bad.
However, we do know that quite a few things have been allowed on the market to be sold or used, without first knowing of their true safety.
–In the past, pesticides were pulled out of use because they were shown to be harmful. Unfortunately, they were used until then.
–Medicines have been sold to people that later on were found to be harmful.
The problem with some substances is that, if they actually have a negative effect, that negative effect might take place very slowly, and in people whose bodies are more sensitive to this substance, or maybe in combination with other substances.
Due to that, it will be difficult to detect some harmful substances. Of course, unless a lot of “honest” research is done by different parties.
For myself and my loved ones, I prefer to rely on prevention. Not being scared of things. But God gave us a brain. Use common sense.
-It’s not so difficult to make some changes. If there’s a product whose reputation seems to be going down, I don’t overuse it, and I look for alternatives, too. Learn a little about it from different sources not just one side.
funny that the european union banned most of these products because they have proven to be carcinogens. yet your lying and defending them and there are advertisements all over your site for them. the beauty brains, your just out for the money, shame on you!
After reading some more comments, i realized there are those in denial and those that lie. The funniest comment has to be that the EU does not ban carcinogenic levels and byproducts of petroleum jelly. Do you work for these companies in the US that you have to defend them, or are you so in denial that you can just say oh its nothing. The same people probably smoke cigarettes and are in denial, too, and you get your information from them. About the denial about the EU ban: the firms are required to disclose any carcinogenic levels of petroleum jelly (which they do exist, or firms wouldn’t have to follow around this rule to the European countries) and they are then banned from EU countries participating in this public policy. “beautybrains” stop lying, your so full of it.
You can’t trust the FDA. How many times have they approved a drug that has been put on the market to come back later and pull it. The FDA is not impartial and they just seem to go all with the drug manufacturers. It’s all about money.
Why not just use effective plant based products that don’t have any suspect ingredients to begin with? Then you don’t have to worry or debate or argue?
You guys need to watch the documentaries: tapped out, the gerson miracle, walmart: the high cost of low price, plastic planet,and gashole just for starters. This country is filthy and anyone who says “why would they put something bad in there products because they don’t want to hear about it later” is crazy. It’s all about the cash. Yup, believe it. I’ve been brainwashed for 38 years and now ” I have seen the light”. Lol. Yes they do it to make money, no you don’t hear about it because they control the government, tv stations and the media. What would someone like me do to fight a billion dollar company? Nada!! That’s why you don’t hear about it people. Wake up. Just watch them. Please just watch the documentaries. Oh and “dive” too. We are the most selfish wasteful nation ever. Oh and that beauty brains dude. Hope you made an extra few sales. You will answer for it one day by a much higher authority than me. You’ll see.