There’s one oil that you’ll find in many products that we strongly believe is an absolute no-no in skincare: that oil is Mineral Oil.
Despite its innocuous name, mineral oil is actually a form of petroleum (yes, the stuff that goes into your car) and is a by-product of the distillation of crude oil into petrol/gasoline.
Mineral oils go by many names including: white oil, paraffin oil, liquid paraffin (a highly refined medical grade), paraffinum liquidum (Latin), petrolatum, cera microcristallina, microcrystalline wax, ozokerite, ceresine isoparaffin, paraffin and synthetic wax. It’s heavily chemically refined and processed before being used in skincare and is used in a range of products from baby oil to facial moisturisers to hair conditioners to lipsticks and lip balms since it’s light, odourless and most of all cheap!
The use of mineral oil in skincare is highly controversial, especially for children who are more likely to accidentally ingest it. Despite heavy chemical refining, questions remain as to its safety.
If you have oily or acne prone skin, mineral oil is known to be highly comedogenic (blocks pores). And if you suffer from chronic dry skin, why use a petroleum by-product when there are so many incredible natural oils that do a far better job?
Other petroleum-derived ingredients used in skincare include propylene glycol, butylene glycol, and any ingredient with DEA, TEA or PEG or propyl or butyl in its name. So next time you’re skincare shopping, read the ingredients carefully and make sure to avoid any of the above.