The Mix Up Starts:
I recently got asked at a show (by a very avid label reader) why I use the oh-so-scary petroleum (don't believe the hype!) in my body butter. As I tried to explain to the person that I actually use a PETROLATUM hybrid in my products.. what makes it different, why it's in my formula and the source I use for it, she got more and more agitated (I'm guessing because she was realizing that it's not so scary after all because she was mixing two ingredients up). She went on to continue to read every single ingredient label on every single product. It's great to see such a ingredient conscience consumer, but I was a bit irked at the same time because the more she read and asked questions, the more I realized she was only looking for a few "black listed ingredients" without actually knowing why one might want to avoid them.. or what they actually are in the first place! It seemed the only ingredient in my products that she found that was a "no no" was what she THOUGHT was petroleum. Please people, if you're going to "black list" ingredients, do your homework first!
After she left I jotted a note down in my skull covered journal (thanks mom!), an idea for a blog post: to address the concern with petrolatum being in my products (and why it's different from petroleum). I plan to do this with a number of things I've jotted down in that notebook so you'll probably see several "educational" type posts in the near future.
Now, on to the "dreaded" petroleum! ;)
Why it's not actually "dreaded":
Recently petroleum jelly used in bath and beauty products has gotten a bad wrap for being a dangerous chemical byproduct of petroleum or gasoline. The fact is that in Canada and the USA, petroleum jelly is not a byproduct but is a refined and purified product of heavy waxes and oils. -- I'm telling you this so you don't have to scared of your vasline ;)
What Batty Uses:
Since I strive to use eco-friendly, renewable resources, I looked very closely at the use of a petrolatum hybrid in my body butter before deciding that, yes, I was indeed comfortable with it has an ingredient that continues to up hold the strict standards of Batty's Bath.
Here's where "my petroleum" comes in. To keep the desired effects of petroleum based petrolatum, I use a "hybrid petrolatum" that utilizes a complex mixture of vegetable oils and waxes, and combines them with petroleum. Why used a hybrid? Because this allows me to keep a very high percentage of renewable resources in my products while maintaining the beneficial properties of the petrolatum.
Old Myths Die Hard:
Some folks aren't worried about the eco-friendliness or "green rating" of petroleum or petrolatum, but instead are concerned with the age old myth about them clogging pores and creating an impassible barrier to the skin (i.e. plugging hair & skin pores). After a lot of searching and research, there exist no credible scientific studies that prove that petroleum jelly or mineral oil will clog your pores. It will however, slowly diffuse throughout the skin lipid layer and even assists the body in skin repair.
Summery:
So there you have it. Petroleum and petrolatum should not be confused with each other and you can be assured that the hybrid used in my products are as eco-friendly has it gets while still maintaining all those skin loving properties :)
