Wellness Skincare Acne Is Vaseline Good for Your Face? By Reven Widener Reven Widener Réven Smalls Widener is a former behavioral health professional with 3 years of experience educating and supporting patients dealing with chronic pain. As an intern then a psychometrist and counseling trainee for a behavioral health department, Réven collaborated with pain clinic medical staff to assist in the care of patients dealing with pain. health's editorial guidelines Updated on March 23, 2024 Medically reviewed by Brendan Camp, MD Medically reviewed by Brendan Camp, MD Brendan Camp, MD, FAAD, is a double board-certified dermatologist. learn more Close towfiqu ahamed/Getty Images The internet is full of remedies and quick fixes for bumps and pimples—including slugging. Slugging refers to applying a layer of Vaseline to your face. Vaseline, or petroleum jelly, is a gel-like mixture of natural mineral oils and waxes. Petrolatum is the refined version of petroleum that appears in skincare products. Vaseline doesn't help acne, however, using petroleum jelly on your face may cause breakouts. In other situations, Vaseline is good for your skin if it's dry or needs protection against blisters and rashes. Here's what you should know. Can You Use Vaseline on Your Face? You can use Vaseline on your face—but know everyone won't be able to use this product. Petroleum jelly does not work well as a treatment regimen for people with acne, as it may contribute to clogged pores, and may trap oil and dirt in the skin. Benefits for Your Face As long as your skin isn't acne-prone, it's fine to use Vaseline on your face. Petroleum jelly can be beneficial for skin dryness and healing wounds. Dry Skin Relief People can sometimes have dry skin on their faces, which may lead to flaky, itchy skin that cracks or bleeds. Petroleum jelly may be less irritating to use, so you can apply it to dry skin on your lips or eyelids. Wound Healing Vaseline application helps keep minor wounds moist and prevents scabs. A wound that scabs may have a longer healing time. Any scars that appear also won't be very itchy, deep, or large if you apply petroleum jelly to wounds like cuts or scratches. Other Benefits Vaseline can be good for your skin in other ways. You can use petroleum jelly for: Lip balm Moisturizing cuticles to prevent hangnails Nail rehydration Prevention of chafing—when two areas of skin rub against one another and cause irritation Treatment of diaper rash, eczema, and skin scales or crusts Risks Petroleum jelly can result in breakouts for some individuals. This is primarily the case for people who are more prone to having acne. You'll also want to be careful if you get petroleum jelly in your eyes. The outcome can be irritation of the surrounding eye tissues. Does Vaseline clog pores? Vaseline claims that it does not clog pores. Noting that acne breakouts can occur in people who have acne and use the product on their face, more research is needed to provide adequate evidence for the claim. How to Use Using Vaseline as part of your skincare routine varies depending on why you're using it. Consider the following conditions and tips as examples to guide your use: Chafing: Apply it to the affected areas. Dry nails: Use it when your nails are damp to moisturize nails and cuticles to prevent chipping. Dry skin: Apply it to damp skin in small amounts. Skin injuries: Use it for minor wounds to keep them moist. A Quick Review Slugging, or slathering your face with Vaseline, isn't a great way to treat acne. In fact, it can make acne worse for some individuals. You can use Vaseline as a remedy for other skin problems like skin injuries, chafing, or dry skin. It's best to use it when your skin is damp so you get the most benefits. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit 5 Sources Health.com uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Trepanowski N, Grant-Kels JM. Social media dermatologic advice: Dermatology without dermatologists. JAAD International. 2023;12:101-102. doi:10.1016/j.jdin.2023.05.004 American Academy of Dermatology. 5 ways to use petroleum jelly for skin care. Ordoñez-Toro A, Montero-Vilchez T, Muñoz-Baeza J, Sanabria-De-la-Torre R, Buendia-Eisman A, Arias-Santiago S. The assessment of skin homeostasis changes after using different types of excipients in healthy individuals. IJERPH. 2022;19(24):16678. doi:10.3390/ijerph192416678 MedlinePlus. Petroleum jelly overdose. Vaseline. Your questions answered.