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To be honest, we don’t fall in either of those camps. Our take is a touch more nuanced: It’s not a star ingredient it’s made out to be, but purified, cosmetic-grade petrochemicals are also not outright harmful to skin health like others claim. 

We just think it’s an outdated ingredient that isn’t as exciting or useful as its botanically-born alternatives. Why rely on a fossil fuel byproduct when renewable resources are available—and offer the same sensorial appeal and more skin benefits?

One such ingredient dupe is castor jelly, a balmy salve that’s growing in popularity in lip balms and other occlusive skin care products. We like it so much that we increased the concentration in our newly reformulated lip balm, which has improved the balm’s moisture retention and staying power. 

Here’s what to know about castor jelly. 

To understand why castor jelly is such a great skin care ingredient, you’ll want to look at the laundry list of benefits from the oil itself, which has a long history of use across the world and many cultures. 

“Castor oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids including omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids. It’s high in ricinoleic acid, which is a hydroxylated fatty acid released from castor oil by intestinal lipases. Ricinoleic acid is a unique fatty acid that mediates most of castor oil’s beneficial effects in the body and is not found in high concentrations in very many other natural products,” board-certified physician Bindiya Gandhi Says in our guide to castor oil. “Castor oil is also chock-full of vitamin E, minerals, and proteins.”

Let’s focus on the Ricinoleic acid, in particular: Research shows that the fatty acid can soothe dry patches of skin1 and help skin recover from irritation; other research suggests it also has anti-inflammatory properties2 for the skin. This makes for a fairly impressive emollient. In addition, the jelly can also act as a humectant, helping attract and hold water in the skin. Finally, vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that can help reduce free radical damage.  

The answer to why we should do so is simply it’s the right thing to do: For the earth, for your skin, and for product integrity. Petroleum jelly is commonly used because it’s inexpensive, it has broad name recognition, and is widely available. But as cosmetic chemist Krupa Koestline once told us, “It’s environmentally irresponsible to use mineral oil when there are vegetable and fruit oils that are more sustainable.”

Ultimately it’s just following this motto: If you can do better, you should do better. It’s a saying that helps guide me with our personal care line as we formulate, package, and create these products. 

Take, for example, the tube the lip balms are housed in. It’s made with a special Eco-Smart Resin© that is 100% recyclable with like materials. This material, however, goes a step further than simply “recyclable”: Eco Smart containers are a proprietary technology that enables plastic components to fully break down in biologically active environments. Finally, the formula is made and filled in a factory powered by 100% wind energy. This is as eco-friendly of a lip balm as you can get.