“Mix 2 Things With Vaseline to Erase Wrinkles for Good” — Does It Work?
This is a popular DIY skincare claim, but no mixture of household ingredients and petroleum jelly has been proven to permanently erase wrinkles.
Vaseline (petrolatum) is an effective occlusive moisturizer. It forms a protective layer over the skin, reducing water loss and making dry skin feel softer and temporarily making fine lines appear less noticeable.
What can you safely do?
For simple nighttime moisturization, you can apply a thin layer of plain petroleum jelly over your regular moisturizer. This can help protect the skin barrier, particularly if your skin is dry.
For longer-term wrinkle prevention, measures with stronger evidence include:
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Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) to reduce UV-related skin aging.
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Moisturizer to improve skin hydration and the appearance of fine lines.
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Retinoid products, when appropriate, which have substantially more evidence for improving signs of photoaging than DIY mixtures.
Be cautious about adding things such as lemon juice, baking soda, toothpaste, or undiluted essential oils to petroleum jelly. These can irritate or damage the skin rather than remove wrinkles.
So Nana’s Vaseline trick may have been a good moisturizing habit, but “erase wrinkles for good” is not a scientifically supported claim.
