Aquaphor is one of the most popular skincare brands in the world, and mostly sells healing ointments. The brand claims that their products create a protective barrier and an “ideal healing environment” for skin.

But does Aquaphor contain research-backed ingredients for skin healing? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? What was our Product Tester's honest experience after trying it on her face for a month? And is the brand better or worse than popular healing ointments like Vaseline?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Aquaphor Healing Ointment to give our take on whether or not it's likely to support skin repair, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also document our Product Tester's experience trying it (with before-and-after images), and compare the brand to other popular healing ointments in terms of formulation quality.

Key takeaways:

• Contains research-backed active ingredients for skin healing
• Free of any unhealthy inactive ingredients
• We currently recommend Aquaphor

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in Aquaphor Healing Ointment are shown below:

image source: https://www.aquaphorus.com/

This is a simple formulation, and does contain research-backed ingredients for promoting skin healing.

Petrolatum is the active ingredient, and was shown in a 2016 clinical trial to optimize skin barrier function, and to upregulate antimicrobial peptides in skin.

Glycerin is included as an inactive ingredient, but may have synergistic effects with petrolatum.

A clinical trial published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found that a cream containing glycerin and petrolatum “presented combined effects” and increased skin hydration and reduced skin dryness.

Panthenol is a type of B-vitamin that’s clinically shown to increase skin moisture content, as we documented in our review of another cosmetic product containing this ingredient called The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid.

Bisabolol is a plant-derived compound shown in a 2014 clinical trial to have an anti-inflammatory effect.

There are no unhealthy additives in this formulation. No fragrances, artificial dyes, or synthetic preservatives. The simplicity and purity of this formulation is one of its benefits.

Overall, we consider Aquaphor likely to improve dry skin, to increase skin moisture content and to aid in skin barrier repair.

Aquaphor Healing Ointment is one of the best commercial skincare products we’ve reviewed on Illuminate Health, and we recommend it from a formulation perspective.

We Tested Aquaphor

 

One of our product testers named Linh Tran tried Aquaphor for a month. 

Here's her experience:

Aquaphor is packaged in a hand held sturdy plastic container with an easy twist-to-open the cap. I was able to easily and comfortably apply the product with my fingertips.

The smell is similar to Vaseline; little to no smell except for its main ingredient, petroleum, which is bearable. 

This product seems to be the thickest of all on my skin so the oily and sticky feeling after application remains for one or two hours:

Aquaphor Healing Moisturizer worked on both my body and face. It reduced dryness, had a lasting shine on skin feeling smooth and moisturized.

Here's an image of my face before using it:

And here's an image after a month of use:

The product was better for my body, because my body is more prone to drying and flaking with dead skin cells than my face.

I did not experience any side effects during one full month of use.

Aquaphor is a product I would purchase because my skin did not feel irritated nor dry after applying. It would be great in withstanding and protecting your skin from cold temperatures.

I applied Aquaphor to my skin every night but not during the day so I cannot say if there is a different effect when it comes into contact with sun.

Overall I rate Aquaphor 8/10.

It did what it needed to do but the oiliness can stick to fabric and when it comes into contact with surfaces.

Is Aquaphor Proven to Work?

Aquaphor has been studied in various clinical trials.

A 2013 clinical trial found that Aquaphor was less effective than white petrolatum in supporting surgical wound healing.

Aquaphor was shown to be superior in terms of supporting wound healing than another ointment called Biafine Topical Emulsion, in a clinical trial published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Aquaphor was clinically shown to have a greater moisturizing effect than Neosporin and Polysporin.

A 2011 clinical trial reported that Aquaphor was equally effective for atopic dermatitis treatment to prescription treatments costing 47x more.

Brands with this much clinical backing are more reputable in our opinion.

Aquaphor vs. Popular Oinments

Here's how Aquaphor compares to other popular skin healing ointments in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:

Vaseline

Was shown in at least one clinical trial to be more effective than Aquaphor, as we documented in the clinical review section of this article.

Vaseline gets the (slight) edge from a potential efficacy standpoint.

Winner: Vaseline

Emuaid

Emuaid is a homeopathic cream, which makes it definitionally less effective than Aquaphor.

Homeopathy is a type of medicine that has repeatedly been clinically shown to be ineffective.

Winner:

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

Contains a preservative combination which is clinically shown to be toxic.

Aquaphor is the healthier option.

Winner: Aquaphor

Our Clean Skincare Pick

MindBodyGreen Best Skin+ is our top anti-aging skin supplement.

It contains orange extract which is clinically shown to increase skin moisturization, skin elasticity and skin radiance.

This supplement also contains astaxanthin which is clinically shown to cause "wrinkle formation reduction."

This supplement is free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Aquaphor Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Many research-backed ingredients
• Zero unhealthy additive ingredients
• Should improve skin hydration
• Should help with dry skin
• Should help repair skin barrier
• Extremely affordable
• Our Product Tester claims it reduced dryness on her body and face
• Simple formulation
• Clinically proven to be effective

Cons:

• May be less effective in some conditions than white petrolatum

Conclusion

Aquaphor is one of the best skincare products we’ve reviewed that’s cheap and can be found at many drugstores, big box stores and pharmacies.

The Healing Ointment sold by this brand contains a simple and clean formulation with many research-backed ingredients and no unhealthy additives.

We believe based on its formulation that this product is likely to increase skin hydration, to improve skin quality generally and to help skin irritation and wounds heal.

Our Product Tester tried Aquaphor for a month and liked its effects, but preferred its use on her body instead of her face.

She claims the product reduced dryness, but also could leave marks on fabrics because it sits so heavily on the skin and doesn't appear to fully absorb.

We consider Aquaphor to be a healthier option than CeraVe Moisturizing Cream and a more effective option than Emuaid, but to be (slightly) less effective than Vaseline.