Substance profile
Petrolatum
Petrolatum is a substance with a harmonised classification under EU CLP.
01 · Identification
What Petrolatum is
Petrolatum is a substance with a harmonised classification under EU CLP.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger.
02 · Identifiers
Petrolatum identifiers and molecular data
Petrolatum CAS number and EC number
Other names for Petrolatum
- [A complex combination of hydrocarbons obtained as a semi-solid from dewaxing paraffinic residual oil. It consists predominantly of saturated crystalline and liquid hydrocarbons having carbon numbers predominantly greater than C25.]
03 · GHS classification
Petrolatum hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Petrolatum pictograms and signal word
Petrolatum hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carcinogenicity GHS chapter 3.6 | Category 1A or 1B | H350 | GHS08 |
Where two values are shown with “or”, the hazard statement is shared by more than one category or by more than one class, and the code alone does not say which. H272, for example, belongs to oxidising liquids and to oxidising solids — the physical state decides. The binding answer for a specific entry is in the CLP Annex VI table itself.
Petrolatum hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H350 | May cause cancer <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Petrolatum. The full reference lives on the hazard statements hub, the precautionary statements hub and the GHS pictograms hub.
Safety Data Sheet
Getting an SDS for Petrolatum
A Safety Data Sheet is written for a product, not for a substance: the supplier of the grade you actually buy issues it, so two suppliers of Petrolatum issue two different sheets. That is why there is no single authoritative SDS for a substance to download — what there is, is the job of collecting the sheets for the products you hold and keeping them current as suppliers revise them.
04 · Precautionary statements
Petrolatum precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 4 precautionary statements to Petrolatum. They are grouped the way a label groups them: what to do before handling, what to do when something has already happened, how to store it and how to dispose of it.
Prevention
What to do before and during handling so the hazard never happens.
Response
What to do once exposure, spillage or fire has already happened.
Reading the notation. … is a blank the supplier fills in — not a truncated sentence.· [square brackets] mark a part printed only when it applies.
05 · Names in the regulation
Petrolatum name in 23 EU languages
CLP Annex VI Part 3 is published in every language edition of the regulation, and the identification column is written out in each of them. Nothing below is translated by us: each line is the name as that edition prints it. Under Art. 18(2) the substance name from Annex VI is a lawful product identifier, so this is the wording to put on a label going to that market — and where the cell lists several designations, any one of them qualifies.
| Language | Name in CLP Annex VI Part 3 |
|---|---|
| Bulgarian български | Петролатум |
| Spanish español | Vaselina |
| Czech čeština | petrolatum |
| Danish dansk | vaselin |
| German Deutsch | Petrolatum |
| Estonian eesti | vaseliin |
| Greek ελληνικά | Βαζελίνη |
| English English | Petrolatum |
| French français | Pétrolatum |
| Croatian hrvatski | vazelin |
| Italian italiano | petrolato |
| Latvian latviešu | Petrolatums |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | Petrolatumas |
| Hungarian magyar | Petrolátum |
| Maltese Malti | Petrolatum |
| Dutch Nederlands | petrolatum |
| Polish polski | Wazelina |
| Portuguese português | pretolato |
| Romanian română | Petrolatum |
| Slovak slovenčina | petrolátum |
| Slovenian slovenščina | vazelin |
| Finnish suomi | Vaseliini |
| Swedish svenska | Petrolatum |
All 23 language editions of Annex VI carry this entry. Irish is the twenty-fourth official EU language and has no line here for a different reason: no consolidated CLP text has ever been published in Irish, so there is no Irish edition of Annex VI to quote a name from. Source: consolidated CLP, CELEX 02008R1272, language editions. © European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu — only the electronic Official Journal of the European Union is authentic.
06 · Label elements
Petrolatum GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Petrolatum, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Petrolatum
- May cause cancer <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>.
- Obtain special instructions before use.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF exposed or concerned:
- Get medical advice/attention.
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Petrolatum in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Questions
Petrolatum — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Petrolatum?
The CAS number of Petrolatum is 8009-03-8. Its EC number is 232-373-2.
What does a Petrolatum label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Petrolatum carries the pictogram Health hazard and the signal word is Danger.
Is Petrolatum flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Petrolatum no flammability hazard class. That is not a statement that it cannot burn: the harmonised list only records the hazards that were assessed for it.
Is Petrolatum a carcinogen?
Yes. CLP Annex VI classifies Petrolatum as a category 1A or 1B carcinogen and assigns it H350: may cause cancer.
Nearby
Substances next to Petrolatum
Keep going: substances starting with P, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.