Improvement of the convenience of white petrolatum

Abstract

White petrolatum is frequently used as an oleaginous base, but has a drawback of poor usability. In this trial, white petrolatum was prepared at a lower melting point to improve its usability. Characteristic pharmaceutical values such as melting point, yield, and consistency were compared between a conventional product and ophthalmic white petrolatum. Usability was compared by administering a survey questionnaire and evaluating the comparable moisturizing effect by conductivity in humans. The melting point and yield value of the improved product were significantly lower compared with other white petrolatum products. In the survey, the improved product was rated excellent in five criteria. On a scale of 1 to 5, the average values for the five criteria for the improved product were 4.7, while the conventional product and ophthalmic white petrolatum were rated 3.0 and 3.5, respectively. No difference in moisturizing effect was observed among all petrolatums after application, from day 1 to day 14. In conclusion, the improved white petrolatum demonstrated better usability, and the moisturizing effect was equivalent to conventional product, suggesting that the use of this improved product may lead to improved adherence.