Looking for the Best Paw Paw Ointment? Meet the Natural Alternative
Every Australian knows paw paw ointment (also spelled pawpaw or papaw, and known as papaya, popo, or botanically Carica papaya). It’s in handbags, first-aid kits and bedside drawers across the country. But here’s something most people never read on the label: many of the popular paw paw ointments are mostly petroleum jelly, with only a small amount of fermented paw paw added.
At Real McArthur, we do it the other way around.
What’s actually in a paw paw ointment?
A traditional paw paw ointment is usually a petrolatum (petroleum jelly) base — often more than 95% — with a small percentage of fermented papaya. Petroleum jelly is a by-product of the oil industry. It sits on top of the skin as a barrier, which is why ointments feel thick and greasy.
Our approach is different: we start with fresh Australian paw paw and build the product around it.
The natural alternative: fresh paw paw, not petroleum
Our Paw Paw Magnesium Body Cream is built on a high concentration of fresh paw paw, blended with magnesium and aloe vera. No petroleum. No beeswax. No animal ingredients at all.
That means:
- Plant-based and vegan — most paw paw ointments and balms are not
- Petroleum-free — made from fruit, not fossil fuel by-products
- Fast-absorbing — a cream that moisturises into the skin, rather than a greasy layer that sits on top
- Australian made — made in Australia
- Real paw paw extract — from Australian organic growers, never an imported powder
Ointment, salve, balm or cream — what’s the difference?
You’ll see all four words on shelves, and they’re not the same thing. An ointment is the thick, greasy one — usually petroleum-based, sitting on the skin as a seal. A salve is similar but softer, traditionally made with waxes and oils. A balm is the firm one in tins and sticks — most lip balms are balms, and they’re usually made with beeswax, which means they’re not vegan. A cream is the lightest of the four: it absorbs into the skin rather than sitting on top, with no greasy film left behind.
We make a cream — on purpose. It carries more fruit, less grease, and it’s the only one of the four that feels like skincare rather than sealant.
Papaya Paw Paw Cream — Same Fruit, Different Names
Papaya and paw paw are the same fruit, so papaya paw paw cream and paw paw creams made from the fresh fruit are the same thing. Ours is made with fresh Australian-grown fruit.
Ointment or cream — which should you choose?
| Traditional paw paw ointment | Real McArthur paw paw cream | |
|---|---|---|
| Main ingredient | Petroleum jelly | Fresh paw paw |
| Feel on skin | Thick, greasy barrier | Light, absorbs in |
| Vegan | Usually no | Yes |
| Added extras | — | Magnesium + aloe vera |
| Made in | Varies | Australia |
If you love the idea of paw paw ointment — that gentle, old-fashioned Aussie skincare — but you’d rather it came from the fruit itself instead of a petroleum base, a natural vegan paw paw cream is the natural next step.
How people use it, day to day
- Heels, elbows and knees — the rough patches that drink up moisture
- Hands and cuticles — especially after washing up, gardening or a day in the shed
- After a day outdoors — when skin feels dry and tight, a cream that absorbs beats a barrier that smears
- All-over body moisturiser — light enough for every day, gentle enough for the whole family
What to look for on any paw paw label (ours included)
Wherever you buy — even if it’s not from us — here’s how to read a paw paw label like a pro:
- Where does paw paw sit on the ingredients list? Ingredients are listed in order of amount. If petrolatum or paraffin is first, you’re mostly buying petroleum.
- Is the base plant-derived or petroleum? The word “petrolatum” is the giveaway.
- Vegan or beeswax? Balms and many ointments use beeswax — fine if that’s your choice, but it’s not plant-based.
- Where is it made? Australian made means Australian standards.
- Are the ingredients listed openly? Ours are, in full, on our ingredients page — including certified organic aloe vera juice where most creams use plain water, and less than 1% preservative in the whole formula.
A family business
Real McArthur is run by Darren McArthur — son of Tom McArthur, known to many Australians as the Paw Paw Man. Darren carries on the family business with his father’s blessing. Our products are our own, made in Australia. You can read our full story here.
Frequently asked questions
They do different jobs. An ointment forms a thick barrier that sits on the skin. Our cream is designed to absorb, delivering the paw paw goodness with a non-greasy feel. Many of our customers use it everywhere they’d once used an ointment — elbows, cuticles, dry patches.
As an everyday cosmetic moisturiser: softening dry skin, smoothing rough patches, conditioning hands, and as a gentle all-over body cream for the whole family.
No. Our products are cosmetics — they moisturise, soften and condition the skin. They are not medicines and are not intended to treat any skin condition.
Usually not — most balms are made with beeswax and most ointments with petroleum. Ours is different: vegan and cruelty-free, with no beeswax, no honey and no animal-derived ingredients at all.
It’s a gentle, everyday cosmetic moisturiser — made for exactly that.
Right here — visit our shop for the full range: our body cream, face cream with hyaluronic acid, and our Kakadu plum range. Australian made, shipped Australia-wide.
Paw paw is a fruit, not petroleum jelly. Check the ingredients list on any paw paw product to see what its base is. Ours has no petroleum jelly: it’s made on an organic aloe vera base.
It depends on the brand, so read the label. Ours is a cream rather than an ointment: our Paw Paw Magnesium Cream is 60% paw paw extract on an organic aloe vera base, with no petroleum jelly.
The one whose label suits you. Look for paw paw high on the ingredients list and a base you’re happy with. Ours is a paw paw cream on organic aloe vera, with no petroleum jelly.
Keep reading
- Paw Paw vs Papaya: What’s the Difference?
- What Is Paw Paw Cream? (And What Should Be in a Good One)
- The Benefits of Paw Paw as a Food and as a Cream
Real McArthur Paw Paw Products — natural, vegan, petroleum-free skincare made in Australia from fresh paw paw.
Keep reading: natural paw paw cream vs petroleum ointments · what belongs in a good paw paw cream
Related reading: Paw Paw Salve vs Paw Paw Cream: What’s the Difference?
What About a Paw Paw Salve?
A paw paw salve is the same idea as a paw paw ointment — a thick, waxy base with paw paw added. Most paw paw salve and paw paw ointment products in Australia are built on petroleum jelly. A pawpaw cream made on an organic aloe vera base behaves differently: it absorbs instead of sitting on top.
What About a Paw Paw Balm?
A paw paw balm is the firm kind that comes in a tin or stick, usually set with beeswax, which means it isn’t vegan. Ours is a vegan paw paw cream instead: no beeswax, no petroleum, and it absorbs rather than sitting on top.
Paw Paw Salve vs Paw Paw Cream: What’s the Difference?
This section was its own article until 9 October 2026. It now lives here, in full.
Walk into any Australian chemist and you’ll see them side by side: paw paw salves, paw paw balms, paw paw creams — all with the same fruit on the label, all promising much the same thing. But they’re not the same product, and knowing the difference saves you buying the wrong one.
What is a salve, exactly?
A salve is one of the oldest skincare formats there is: oils or fats thickened with wax (usually beeswax — or, in many big-name paw paw products (also spelled pawpaw or papaw, and known as papaya, popo, or botanically Carica papaya), petroleum jelly). Salves don’t absorb much — that’s the point of them. They form a protective layer that sits on top of your skin, sealing moisture in and the weather out. A paw paw balm is essentially the same idea, usually firmer.
What is a cream?
A cream is an emulsion — oils blended with a water-type base — made to absorb into the skin rather than sit on it. Our cream’s base isn’t even water: it’s certified organic aloe vera juice, carrying 60% paw paw fruit extract — made from fresh Australian fruit, never a dried or freeze-dried powder.
Same fruit, opposite philosophies
| Salve / balm | Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Sits ON the skin — a seal | Absorbs IN — delivers |
| Feel | Waxy, greasy, protective | Light, sinks in |
| Usual base | Beeswax or petroleum jelly | Water — or in ours, organic aloe |
| Vegan | Often not (beeswax) | Ours is — always |
Choose a salve when you want a physical barrier — a seal over your skin against wind or weather.
Choose a cream when you want the goodness in your skin — everyday moisturising with nothing waxy left behind.
Why we make a cream, not a salve
At Real McArthur we went the cream road on purpose. A salve’s base — the wax, the petroleum — is most of the product; the fruit is a passenger. In our cream, the fruit IS the product: 60% paw paw fruit extract made from fresh Australian fruit grown by certified organic growers. Call it paw paw or papaya — in Australia it is the same fruit, and it is the hero here. Vegan and cruelty-free from base to label: no beeswax, no lanolin, no petrolatum, ever.
That’s our natural paw paw cream with magnesium — and if you’re weighing up creams against the famous petroleum-based options, we’ve written an honest comparison of the two with no scare tactics.
Quick answers
Near enough — both are wax-thickened and sit on the skin. Balms are usually firmer.
Often not — most use beeswax, and many big-name ones use petroleum jelly. If vegan matters to you, read the ingredients list first.
A cream, by design. Salves are made to stay on the surface as a seal; creams are made to sink in.
Not currently — we make a paw paw cream built on organic aloe and 60% real fruit, because we’d rather the fruit did the work than the wax.
The fruit should be the point — not the wax it’s carried in.
Shop natural paw paw cream →