The natural Vaseline alternative that actually works better

Vaseline has been around since 1870, so it's no wonder so many people use it, trust it, rely on it. It works, it's cheap, and tons of dermatologists recommend it.

We also know that it doesn't work for everyone, that some people are looking for something less oil-rig-adjacent, or have luck with it but wish it didn't have such greasy side effects. For this group, we have some thoughts to share.

What petroleum jelly is and why people use it

Petrolum jelly is a byproduct of oil refining, and it's basically a super refined, purified substance similar to a wax that is derived from crude oil. That super-refined bit is important because it removes most of the problematic compounds and is the reason it's considered safe for use on the skin.

The reason it's been widely used for well over 100 years is one main thing: it creates a very intense barrier. This means it sits on top of the skin and prevents water from escaping. It does that very well, and it doesn't irritate the skin for most people.

Sounds good, right? Or at least...not bad? As with everything, there are a few sides to this story. Let's investigate.

The tradeoffs

What the barrier capability also means, and this is key, is that it seals in only and exactly what is there. Have dry skin? The skin is still try under there. It'll keep any further moisture from escaping, but it isn't actually helping to add moisture back or improve the skin. Once it wears off, you're back to square one, or possibly in negative square territory, depending on whether our next tradeoff has actually ended up making things worse. Ever experienced the lip balm hamster wheel where the more you apply, the worse it gets and you start to wonder if you have a bit of an addiction problem? It's this.

The next important tradeoff is breathability. Because it does have such a good barrier, this means that it can also trap things on the skin that we don't want, like sweat, dirt, bacteria. In many cases, this doesn't have noticeable impact. But if you're using it on the face, or on skin that is already a little unhappy with life, those things can start to cause issues once they’re trapped. This is why, even though it's technically non-comedogenic, some people break out with they use it on their face, or their skin gets worse when they use it on an inflamed or otherwise sad skin area.

I don't think we'll have to explain this last tradeoff in depth. If you've ever used petroleum jelly based products in your life, this will likely immediately make sense to you. There is...a grease situation. You put it on, you touch something, that thing now also has petroleum jelly on it. And the next thing you touch. And the inside of your clothes. You get it. Is it worth it if it helps your skin? Maybe! But let's talk about whether better options exist.

What to look for in a natural alternative to petroleum jelly

Most “natural alternative to Vaseline” options focus on ingredients, not function.

A truly viable alternative to petroleum jelly needs to do the same core job of protecting the skin and retaining moisture without the key tradeoffs we just discussed. That means we are looking for something that:

• Forms a legit barrier to protect the skin and seal in moisture
• Is breathable so it won't suffocate the skin and trap the bad guys
• Contains lipids, which is just a fancy skin word for different types of things that are similar to what is in the skin...which means they help make the skin barrier work better rather than just sitting on top
• Has a low comedogenic rating (fancy skin words for how pore clogging something is), so it's safe to use on the face or anywhere prone to breakouts
• Avoids the greasy mess situation

Let's call it what it is. This is asking a lot of a substance. There are other plant-based butters that get a lot of the way there, like shea and cocoa butters, which are popular genuinely good in many ways, but they do lack the breathability, the non-greasy test, and in the case of cocoa, is high on the comedogenic scale.

Why kokum butter is different

Haven't heard of kokum butter before? Very normal, most people haven't. That's not because it's new, it's actually been used is Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, and the tree that produces is, the Garcinia indica, grows primarily on the west coast of India. So it's not that it doesn't work, it's that it's harder to scale and less familiar than other ingredients like the aforementioned cocoa and shea.

Here's the cool part: it behaves very differently from other plant butters. It's very dense, but it melts at skin temperature. This means that it's solid and stable in the jar, but it softens and spreads immediately when it touches your skin. It creates a very thin, but very solid barrier on the skin, and importantly it's neither slick and transferable nor does it disappear quickly.

The key distinction is that petroleum jelly creates a (very strong!) barrier by sitting on top, while kokum butter creates a barrier by integrating into the surface of the skin. You get the protection you want, but it's doing extra and actually supporting the skin barrier, too.

This means that it's breathable, and it's considered non-comedogenic, so we've successfully checked off all of our alternative requirements. Win.

The Leopard options

We have two balms: Calm Balm and Base Layer. Both are made of majority kokum butter, but they're formulated with different uses in mind. That being said, you cannot mess this up. Both can go anywhere on your skin / face, so follow your heart on what feels best to use where for you.

What we made them for:
Calm Balm is meant for skin that's in a tough spot. Maybe it's inflamed, or reactive, irritated, whatever it is, it needs a little extra help. Some examples of this could be windburn, chafing, irritation of unknown causes, redness, chapped lips / face, cracked heels or other areas, we could go on. You get it. It's made with bisabolol, the active ingredient in chamomile, so it's prepared to help calm whatever you throw at it.

Base Layer is for everything else. Typical dry skin anywhere on the body, face moisture, under eyes, cuticles, rough elbows / knees / heels.

Honestly we're often hearing new and creative uses for both of these from our customers, and we love it.

Neither one is trying to be petroleum jelly, because they're doing a different job. They're restoring, not just sealing (though they're sealing, too). If that sounds like something that might help you, balms are here.