Petrolatum

Petrolatum (CAS 8009-03-8), also sold as white petrolatum and soft paraffin, is a purified semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons derived from petroleum refining.

Where is Petrolatum used?

• Personal care: occlusive moisturizer and protective barrier agent
• Pharmaceutical and OTC skin care: occlusive barrier that reduces transepidermal water loss
• Ointments, wound care preparations and lip balms: base ingredient
• Creams, lotions and color cosmetics: texture adjustment and long-lasting emolliency
• Metalworking and industrial maintenance: rod wax grades as rust-preventive coatings and cable lubricants
• Rubber and plastics processing: release agent and anti-tack coating
• It also serves as a lubricant in personal care, pharmaceutical and industrial applications.
• In drug products it can act as an active ingredient or as an excipient, where it may constitute 95% or more of the total formulation.
• For use by qualified healthcare personnel, it serves as a general lubricant in gynaecological and rectal examinations, catheter placement and dressing application.
• From general industrial suppliers it is used in industrial lubricants, corrosion protection, and candle formulations.

Good to know: USP, BP and Ph. Eur. specifications are recognized for pharmaceutical and cosmetic use; technical grades are also available.

Typical specification

• Pharmacotherapeutic group: emollients and protectants, soft paraffin and fat-containing products, with ATC code D02AC.
• PETROFIBE® 201 has a cone penetration of approximately 160 dmm (ASTM D937).

Regulatory status

• The European Pharmacopoeia uses the term White Soft Paraffin for White Petrolatum USP and Yellow Soft Paraffin for Petrolatum USP.
• Note N next to each petrolatum entry in the CMR list provides for refined grades of petrolatum that are essentially free of PNAs.

Frequently asked questions about Petrolatum

What are the characteristics of PETAX® USP and PETROFIBE® industrial petrolatums?

PETAX® USP petrolatums are white, USP-grade materials meeting U.S. Pharmacopeia requirements, whereas PETROFIBE® industrial petrolatum products are engineered for non-USP uses and have an amber to dark amber appearance.

Technical content is compiled and updated by the SoleChem product team from public technical sources; the certificate of analysis (COA) governs product-specific specifications.