Does Vaseline clog pores?

What is in a jar of Vaseline

The drug label for Vaseline Pure Petroleum Jelly lists one active ingredient, white petrolatum USP at 100%, and nothing else. Vaseline Healing Jelly lists the same petrolatum with water as its only inactive ingredient. Both labels are on DailyMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's database of drug labels.

So when people ask whether Vaseline clogs pores, they are asking about petrolatum. Petrolatum is a semi-solid mix of hydrocarbons refined from petroleum. It is a close relative of mineral oil, which is a liquid, and the two are separate ingredients on a label.

What the studies found

1992: it moves into the skin

Ghadially, Halkier-Sorensen and Elias tested Vaseline Petroleum Jelly on human volunteers whose skin barrier had been stripped with acetone. The expectation was that a heavy occlusive would slow the barrier's recovery. It sped it up. Under the microscope, the petrolatum was found between the cells at every level of the outer skin layer, where it took the place of some of the fat layers that normally sit there. It did not form a sealed film on top.

2024: a review of the acne question

Kamrani and colleagues at Penn State reviewed petrolatum's history, manufacture and safety for the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Among the myths they set out to correct was petrolatum as a cause of acne.

The mineral oil numbers

Mineral oil has a published rating, and our list carries it at 1–3. The sources disagree, which is why it is a range. A 2005 commentary in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology reviewed the rabbit-ear and human data and concluded that cosmetic-grade mineral oil is unlikely to be comedogenic in people. That paper is about mineral oil. It is the nearest relative with a number, and it says nothing direct about petrolatum.

Ingredient	Rating	Published as
Mineral Oil	1–3 Moderate risk	A highly purified, inert petroleum derivative used as a completely non-irritating occlusive.

Slugging: what changes when it goes on last

Slugging means putting a petrolatum-based ointment over your whole face as the last step of an evening routine. A 2022 paper in Clinics in Dermatology looked at the top 50 TikTok videos on it and found 18 were educational. The authors noted that its occlusive nature carries a potential risk.

We found no study that tested slugging and acne directly. What is clear is that a slugging layer sits over everything you applied before it, all night. So if you start slugging and break out, look at the serums, oils and creams underneath as well as the jar on top. Paste each label into the ingredient checker and look at anything rated 3 or above near the top of the list.

If you break out easily and want to try it

1. Start on a small area, such as the jawline or one cheek, before using it all over.
2. Change one thing at a time. The American Academy of Dermatology notes that trying new treatments too often can irritate the skin and cause breakouts.
3. Give it a few weeks before deciding, and see a dermatologist if breakouts keep coming.

Aquaphor is the other ointment people reach for, and its label has more on it than petrolatum. Our page on whether Aquaphor clogs pores reads it line by line.