Jojoba Oil Vs. Petroleum Jelly

Petroleum jelly and jojoba oil are common ingredients in cosmetic products, and while both serve similar purposes, there are a few notable differences. Jojoba is a plant derivative and petroleum jelly is a fossil fuel product. Choosing one over the other depends upon what you're using the product for and your own personal preference. On a product ingredient label, petroleum jelly may appear as "petrolatum."

Jojoba

Extracted from the beans of the jojoba plant, or Simmondsia chinenis, a shrub native to the Sonoran Desert in Mexico, jojoba oil is technically a vegetable oil, according to the "Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine." Native Americans used the oil as a skin treatment and as an appetite suppressant when food was scarce. Today, jojoba oil is commercially produced for the cosmetic industry and is uncommon as a dietary aide.

Petroleum Jelly

Developed in 1872, a refined product of oil drilling rod wax, petroleum jelly is a semi-solid hydrocarbon. Pale yellow in color before distillation, further refinement renders it clear and translucent, according to TripAtlas. In its refined state, petroleum jelly provides lubrication and acts as a binding agent in cosmetics and household products. Petroleum jelly is not edible.

Physical Attributes

Both jojoba oil and petrolatum provide a protective barrier on the skin, sealing in moisture and sealing out dust and airborne pollutants. Both are emollients, meaning that they soothe and soften dry skin, making them both valuable in moisturizing products. Petroleum jelly can leave a greasy feeling on the skin, while jojoba oil is lighter in consistency, leaving the skin feeling soft and not as greasy. Both products blend well with other oils and cosmetic bases, including beeswax and glycerol.

Products

Jojoba is an ingredient in skin creams, lotions, hair conditioners, lip balms and massage oils. Because it's non-irritating to the eyes, it's also an ingredient in some makeup removing products.

The uses for petroleum jelly are vast, including as a skincare ingredient, furniture polish ingredient, industrial machine lubricant, fresh fruit and vegetable sealant and even as a fish bait component. Once used extensively to treat burns, petroleum jelly is no longer recommended for this use, but it is still an ingredient in first aid ointments, designed to seal minor wounds from dirt.

Pros/Cons

Jojoba oil, applied to the skin, absorbs more quickly than petroleum jelly, but it's also more expensive, potentially making products that contain jojoba cost more than those containing petroleum jelly. Naturalists prefer jojoba oil, since it comes from a plant, while petroleum jelly is a byproduct of a hydrocarbon fossil fuel. Petroleum jelly interferes with the structure of latex, making it unsuitable for use as condom lubricant, and petroleum is toxic when consumed, while jojoba is not.