Ointment for Dry Skin: When a Greasy Ointment Beats Any Cream

Every winter, the same thing happens to a lot of skin. Knuckles split, heels crack, the sides of the nose flake, and the moisturizer that worked fine in September seems to vanish within an hour. At that point many people reach for a heavier cream, then a heavier one still. Often the thing they actually need is not a cream at all. It is an ointment.

Ointments have an image problem. They are greasy, they shine, and they feel old-fashioned. But for very dry, cracked or wind-chapped skin, the research behind them is some of the strongest in all of skincare. This guide explains what makes an ointment different, when it is the right choice, and when it is not.

Ointment, cream, lotion: the difference is water

Most moisturizers are made from the same building blocks: water, oils and waxes, and humectants such as glycerin. What separates them is the ratio.

• Lotions are mostly water. They spread easily, absorb fast and suit large areas or mildly dry skin.
• Creams are roughly half water and half oil. They are richer and still absorb within minutes.
• Ointments contain little or no water. They are built on petrolatum, mineral oil, lanolin or plant waxes, and they sit on the skin as a film.

Because they contain no water, ointments usually need fewer preservatives and emulsifiers, which matters for sensitive skin. Emulsifiers, the ingredients that let oil and water mix in a cream, can weaken the skin barrier in some formulas [1].

Think of a lotion as a glass of water poured on a dry sponge and an ointment as cling film over a damp one: the first helps briefly, the second keeps the sponge from drying out at all. Your skin can lose less water in 8 hours under a thin film of ointment than under three coats of a light lotion, because the ointment has no water to evaporate.

Your skin can lose less water in 8 hours under a thin film of ointment than under three coats of a light lotion, because the ointment has no water to evaporate.

What the research shows

The workhorse ointment base is petrolatum, and it has been studied far more than its reputation suggests.

It repairs, not just covers. In a well-known study at a San Francisco veterans’ hospital, researchers stripped the barrier of volunteers’ skin and then applied petroleum jelly. Instead of slowing barrier repair, as a simple plastic seal would, petrolatum sped it up. Under the microscope, it had worked its way into the spaces between the outer skin cells, filling the gaps where the skin’s own lipids should be [2].

It switches on barrier genes. A 2016 study from Rockefeller University found that petrolatum applied under occlusion increased filaggrin and loricrin, two proteins the skin needs to build a strong outer layer, and raised the skin’s own antimicrobial defenses [3].

It is remarkably safe. In a trial of 922 patients after skin surgery, plain white petrolatum healed wounds as well as an antibiotic ointment and caused no allergic reactions, while the antibiotic caused four [4].

A review of moisturizer science concluded that petrolatum has an immediate barrier-repairing effect on skin that has lost its lipids [1]. That is exactly the state of skin after weeks of cold air, hot showers and indoor heating.

When an ointment beats a cream

Ointments shine where dryness has turned into damage:

Your skin makes fewer barrier lipids after 50 than it did at 30, so in winter it often needs a heavier seal than any lotion can give.

• Cracked hands and knuckles, especially at night under cotton gloves.
• Heels and elbows, where thick skin splits under pressure.
• Lips and the corners of the mouth.
• Winter patches on the cheeks, around the nose, or on shins that itch and flake.
• Very dry mature skin, which makes fewer barrier lipids and loses water faster.

Your skin makes fewer barrier lipids after 50 than it did at 30, so in winter it often needs a heavier seal than any lotion can give.

When an ointment is the wrong choice

Ointments are not for everyone, or for every area:

• Acne-prone or very oily facial skin. Pure petrolatum is not itself pore-clogging, but a heavy film can trap sweat and makeup and worsen breakouts in some people. Use it only on dry patches.
• Hot, humid weather. In summer the film feels sticky and can contribute to heat rash.
• Daytime under makeup. Foundation slides on a greasy base.
• Infected or weeping skin. An ointment does not replace treatment if skin is oozing, very red or painful. See a doctor.

How to apply an ointment so it works

An ointment does not add water. It holds in what is already there. So the order matters:

1. Start with damp skin. Apply within a few minutes of washing or showering, while the skin still holds water.
2. Use a humectant first if you are very dry. A light layer of a glycerin or hyaluronic acid product, or an emollient cream, gives the ointment something to lock in.
3. Use less than you think. A pea-sized amount covers both cheeks. Warm it between your fingertips and press it on instead of rubbing.
4. Go heavier at night. Use the full amount on hands, heels and lips before bed, and keep the face to a thin layer.

Using a thin coat of ointment as the final step over your night routine is the idea behind slugging, and it is a good fit for winter. If you are wary of using petroleum jelly on your face because of what you have read about clogged pores or refining impurities, our guide to Vaseline on the face walks through each of those common concerns in turn. For the wider picture of why your face gets so dry, start with our guide to dry skin on the face.

How to choose an ointment

• Plain white petrolatum is the simplest, cheapest and least allergenic option.
• Ointments with added ceramides, glycerin or panthenol add a little barrier support to the seal.
• Lanolin ointments are excellent for lips and nipples but can trigger allergy in a small number of people.
• Plant-wax balms made with beeswax or candelilla wax suit people who prefer to avoid petroleum, though they have less clinical data.
• Skip fragrance and essential oils on cracked skin, where they sting and can sensitize.

Ointments, retinol and aging skin

Dry mature skin and retinol have a complicated relationship. Retinol is the best-studied topical ingredient for firmer, smoother skin, but conventional retinol formulas can make dry skin drier and flakier in the first weeks. An ointment helps here. Apply your retinol to clean, dry skin, wait 20 minutes, then seal with a thin layer of ointment on the driest areas.

What an ointment cannot do is rebuild the collagen that keeps skin firm. That is where the choice of retinol matters. Nanoretinol uses 0.2% retinol encapsulated in biomimetic lipid nanoparticles in a water-based gel, so it reaches the deeper layers without the harsh solvents that strip an already dry barrier. In North Biomedical’s study it was 232% more effective in collagen recovery than conventional retinol, with a 61% increase in firmness after 56 days and milder side effects [5]. Use the retinol to rebuild, and the ointment to protect.

References

1. Lodén M. “Role of topical emollients and moisturizers in the treatment of dry skin barrier disorders.” American Journal of Clinical Dermatology. 2003;4(11):771-788. doi:10.2165/00128071-200304110-00005
2. Ghadially R, Halkier-Sorensen L, Elias PM. “Effects of petrolatum on stratum corneum structure and function.” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 1992;26(3 Pt 2):387-396. PubMed 1564142
3. Czarnowicki T, Malajian D, Khattri S, et al. “Petrolatum: Barrier repair and antimicrobial responses underlying this ‘inert’ moisturizer.” Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2016;137(4):1091-1102.e7. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2015.08.013
4. Smack DP, Harrington AC, Dunn C, et al. “Infection and allergy incidence in ambulatory surgery patients using white petrolatum vs bacitracin ointment. A randomized controlled trial.” JAMA. 1996;276(12):972-977. PubMed 8805732
5. North Biomedical LLC. “Nanoretinol vs. Conventional Retinol: Efficacy in Collagen and Elastin Recovery.” Clinical Study Summary, 2024. Study summary