Oil Slicks for Chapped Lips?

A Reader Writes The Green Guide:

We avoid buying wax candles because they are petroleum based. Then with horror last night, I realized that the Vaseline (TM) that I use every night to soften my lips appears to be petroleum based! Is this correct? Is white petrolatum USP really a petroleum product? And if so, how safe is it to use, especially where some is surely consumed (on the lips)? I know many use it on babies for diaper rash, but even that seems reckless if any is absorbed through the skin. Are there better alternatives, or am I being hysterical?

Deborah Seaton
North Little Rock, Arkansas

The Green Guide Responds:

You are being very sensible, we think. Petrolatum (or Vaseline, petroleum jelly, and paraffin jelly as it's more commonly called) is indeed derived from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Although Ruth Winters' Consumers Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients notes that petrolatum is not toxic, it can cause allergic skin reactions in sensitive people, including babies, whose skin is naturally more sensitive than adults'. And if you accidentally eat too much Vaseline—not an impossibility if you are slathering it on your lips—you may wind up with diarrhea.

How it works: Petrolatum forms an oily film that sits on top of the skin, preventing moisture from evaporating. There are many non-petrochemical alternatives that do the same thing. Look for products with shea butter, beeswax, and essential oils, all of which will moisturize your lips naturally. For chapped, cracked skin, including lips, needing intense therapy try Kathy's Family Shea Butter Balm ($9.95, www.kathys-family.com) Or for balms designed specifically for the lips, try:

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm, $2.50 (www.burtsbees.com)

Mad Gabs Lip Lube (beeswax and almond oil), $3.00 (www.madgabs.com)

Jess' Bee Natural Lip Balm (beeswax and shea butter), $3.00 (www.beenaturallipbalm.com)

L'Occitane's Lavender Mini Pure Shea Butter for chapped lips, $6 and sumptuous balm in tints like Wild Blackberry, price $13 (usa.loccitane.com)

Kathy's Simple Sunny Citrus Lip Treatment in a tube refreshes as it soothes with coconut, sunflower, jojoba and almond oils; price $3.50 (www.kathys-family.com)