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Natural ointments or balms are made simply from oil and beeswax. These are heated together until melted and additional ingredients such as essential oils can then be added. The characteristic ointment texture forms when the product returns to room temperature.
Since ointments and balms do not contain water, they do not require harsh preservatives, since it is the water in a product which causes most of the degradation of that product. Instead, less effective preservatives from natural sources can be used, such as vitamins and citrus seed oils. In fact, some essential oils also have an antibacterial action, so depending upon the oils used, these may help to keep the product fresh.
However, commercially available ointments may contain synthetic preservatives such as parabens. British researchers have found traces of parabens in tissue taken from women with breast cancer, and although there is no evidence that parabens cause cancer, researchers have asked for the use of parabens in personal care products to be reviewed, as these studies suggest that these chemicals may accumulate within the body after having been applied on the skin. We have discussed parabens elsewhere on Scene Green and would advise people to avoid using any product containing them. Other preservatives that are best avoided are anything containing formaldehyde (studies suggest that it may be carcinogenic).
If you would like to avoid petroleum derived ingredients in your personal care products, it is probably best to stick to 'natural' ointments or balms, since most conventional versions are usually made up of ingredients such as liquid paraffin, rather than vegetable oils.
Other ingredients to watch out for in conventional ointments include synthetic colours and fragrances. Fragrances in particular can be made up of a complex mixture of chemicals, that are not legally required to be listed in the product ingredients so we would always recommend avoiding them wherever possible. According to Friends of the Earth the following ingredients should also be avoided as they 'bio-accumulate” (ie build up in the body), so should be replaced by safer alternatives – alkylphenols, artificial musks, bisphenol A and phthalates.
