We've been using Lucas' Papaw Ointment all wrong

Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment is a very popular product but one makeup artist is slamming it as being "expensive Vaseline". She says it's only 4% pawpaw.

"Lucas' PaPaw contains more petroleum jelly than an actual papaw."

She said the product contains 39 milligrams fermented papaw per gram, meaning the product is less than 4% papaw and 96% petroleum jelly.

"The many testimonials by people who have used Lucas’ Papaw Ointment over the last 105 years show how effective it is, and that it is not just 'a tube of petroleum jelly'," Lucas' Papaw spokesperson Karyn Lees told Mashable AU.

The active ingredient is created by using a fermentation process to concentrate the enzymes from Australian papaws, rather than using a processed papaw powder from overseas.

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"[This] means we must use a smaller proportion of active ingredient than the other products that use processed unfermented extracts from papaws," Lees said.

"The healing properties of fresh fermented papaw is very potent and has to be carefully balanced or it will be too strong for human use ... and effectively “burn” our skin."

So, how should it be used?

The ointment is not meant to be used as a moisturiser, Lees told Mashable Australia however it can help retain moisture and heal cracked lips.

"Lucas’ Papaw Ointment is ideal for lips if you want to help heal or soothe inflamed, chapped or broken skin," Lees said. "Over more recent years it has become popular to use Lucas’ Papaw Ointment as a lip gloss. While this type of use will definitely not harm anyone and can give the feeling of moisture, this cosmetic use for beauty outcomes is not something we get involved in as we focus entirely on the healing qualities."