Have you ever bought a day cream, ointment, or body lotion at the drugstore or pharmacy? Then chances are you've—without even realizing it—smeared kerosene on your skin. Seriously.

Ingredients like paraffinum liquidum , petrolatum , or microcrystalline wax may sound harmless, but they're all petroleum derivatives. And you still find them in all sorts of things: baby oil, lip balms, and medicinal ointments. Often presented as "safe" or "mild." But... what do they really do for your skin?

An artificial base with no nutritional value for the skin

The reason petroleum derivatives are so widely used is simple: they are inexpensive, odorless, stable, and practically infinitely durable. Ideal for products that require mass production.

But: they are not nutritious.

Mineral oils and Vaseline primarily form a layer over your skin. They seal it off, preventing moisture from evaporating. They're great for preventing dehydration, but they do nothing else. No vitamins, no minerals, no stimulus for repair or renewal. A passive barrier. It feels soft, but it's a kind of plastic wrap.

The Industrial Turn of Skin Care

In a previous article , I wrote about how people used fats as a base for skincare. Animal fats like tallow (beef fat) were packed with vitamins and fatty acids almost identical to our own skin fats. They provided real nourishment.

Until the industry took over. Vegetable oils, synthetic substances, and petroleum products were cheaper, had a longer shelf life, and were easier to process. And slowly, the nourishing elements disappeared from skincare. What remained was mainly a cosmetic film that looked beautiful for a while – but did little.

The silent norm

Petroleum-based ingredients are still marketed as "mild," "safe," or "hypoallergenic." And that's true, insofar as they do little. They don't irritate because they don't activate anything. But therein lies the problem: they also contribute nothing.

They seal off your skin, but offer it nothing to build on. No vitamins, no restorative fatty acids, no active support. It's a form of care primarily aimed at masking symptoms, not addressing the root cause.

The fact that this has become the standard says little about what your skin needs, and everything about the world in which these products are developed: a world where durability, scalability and profit often outweigh actual care.

How it can be different

Shrine starts with the basics: a sebum your skin recognizes. Our tallow is packed with fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), has a balanced omega-3 ratio, and is completely bioidentical to your own skin's sebum.

It nourishes, protects, and supports. No synthetic additives. No petroleum, no parabens, no silicones—only ingredients that contribute.

Our tallow comes from small-scale Dutch organic farmers, from cattle that are 100% grass-fed – without antibiotics or other junk. Not a byproduct of a fossil fuel industry, but a pure, nutritious ingredient that requires minimal processing.

Time for real care

Curious about how things can be done differently? Check out our range . Care products based on Dutch tallow. Free from mineral oil and other synthetic ingredients.