Petrolatum

Synonyms: Merkur; mineral jelly; petroleum jelly; Silkolene; Snow White; Soft White; vaselinum flavum; yellow petrolatum; yellow petroleum jelly.

Description: Petrolatum is a pale yellow to yellow-colored, translucent, soft unctuous mass. It is odorless, tasteless, and not more than slightly fluorescent by daylight, even when melted.

Chemical Name: Petrolatum

Emollient; ointment base.

• Petrolatum is mainly used in topical pharmaceutical formulations as an emollient-ointment base; it is poorly absorbed by the skin.

• Petrolatum is also used in creams and transdermal formulations and as an ingredient in lubricant formulations for medicated confectionery together with mineral oil.

• Therapeutically, sterile gauze dressings containing petrolatum may be used for nonadherent wound dressings or as a packing material.

• Petrolatum is additionally widely used in cosmetics and in some food applications.

Petrolatum is an inert material with few incompatibilities.

Petrolatum is mainly used in topical pharmaceutical formulations and is generally considered to be a nonirritant and nontoxic material.

Observe normal precautions appropriate to the circumstances and quantity of material handled. For recommended workplace exposure limits see Mineral Oil and Paraffin.

Mineral oil; mineral oil light; paraffin; petrolatum and lanolin alcohols; white petrolatum.