Yep they greasy stuff smothers the ticks . They just drop off cause they breath through their skin . Is better to put clean with liquid after though .
Cheap vaseline works for the ticks too.
No, not the ticks, themselves.
I have a Tick Twisters and a dozen tweezers for them.
No matter how fast I get them off the dogs, they wind up with closed infection “lumps” from the wretched little demonspawn.
The ointment cures those.
:)