trailrider- yea the spray I use(Liquid wrench brand) does smell of some kinda of petroleum distillate as a vehicle, fortunately it does evaporate quickly too, so I ususlly apply and then let it "dry" a bit before working it in.( done this for years on birt bike fork legs without any seal issues- and that is with upside down forks)
Another thought I had was silicone grease like that is used in plumbing applications. It is quite thick,translucent and safe for fresh water systems so presumably without pretroleum. A little bit goes a long but kinda hard to apply thin and evenly. It comes in 1/2 oz containers at hardware stores.