Research at the University of Campinas (Unicamp) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has concluded that “vegetable oils can be used as a sustainable alternative to synthetic emollients" and are promising alternatives to petrolatum in skincare applications
In the study, different emollients were applied to the forearms of 80 healthy female adult volunteers. TEWL measurements were performed before and after 15 minutes, two and six hours.
The results showed that the vegetable oils were effective in providing an occlusive effect on the skin. They did not provide a high immediate (15 minutes) skin occlusion effect when compared to the petrolatum, but most showed a comparable performance over six hours.
‘Skin occlusive performance: Sustainable alternatives for petrolatum in skincare formulations’ was published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology in January 2022.
