Ok, it's wet, so it's another er...soapbox...day.
Petroleum products in skincare are the devil. Nothing gets me shrieking faster than running through the bodycare products aisle at the store and seeing product after product with petroleum in it. Especially ones that are supposed to "moisturize the skin".
Why?
BECAUSE PETROLEUM PRODUCTS DON'T SINK INTO YOUR SKIN. AT ALL.
Go look up "petrolatum" on Wikipedia. Commonest ingredient in the skincare industry. And it says, right there--"does not absorb into skin".
There are a rare few occasions when this is a good thing. Sweatproof sunblock, for instance. However, in any preparation that you need a medicinal ingredient to reach the body--through the skin, like Capsaicin Creme or Aspercreme, you run into a problem with a petroleum base. Because the medicinal component is suspended in the petroleum, only the tiniest micro-amount can actually reach the nerve endings that need it...because petrolatum does not absorb into the skin.
Which is why my clients say things like "I've tried capsaicin cream before, and yours is the only one that WORKS".
Further, if your body gets used to using petroleum products--say a hand lotion, or a body lotion--then it comes to depend on that extra layer. Which is fine if you are one of the compulsive few that remembers to coat daily in Vaseline Intensive Care, but the day you miss---dry skin, itching, and all that fun stuff. If you prefer to be able to skip a day, you use organics that can actually penetrate the skin.
So. There you have it. Petroleum is the devil.