Beauty Glossary: Mineral Oil
July 10, 2006 by Christina Jones
Filed under Beauty, Glossary
I am starting a new section today at eBeautyDaily, that will hopefully eventually become a thorough glossary of ingredients in skin, hair and body care products, and I am starting out today with Mineral Oil, just because I have to start somewhere and I am tired of pondering whether I am going to start with “A” or with something new I found today or whatever. Mineral Oil is where it begins. 
Mineral Oil has a wretched reputation within the beauty world, with rumors that it is suffocating to the skin, that it is not natural (like olive, avocado, almond, whatever), and that it is an “industrial” oil, not a “beauty” oil (The Beauty Bible, p. 78). This is simply not true. Mineral Oil is a product of crude oil, which comes from where? Yep, the earth. Doesn’t get more natural than that, does it?
Check out this article from Science Daily, Don’t Believe The Hype — Mineral Oil Won’t Give You Zits (May 31, 2005):
A recent study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology reports that mineral oil, a common ingredient in many skin care products, does not cause breakouts on the face as was previously thought. Joseph DiNardo with Pharma Cosmetix Research, LLC, inRichmond VA points out in his study that while industrial grade mineral oil may be comedogenic, cosmetic grade mineral oil is not. Comedogenic is a term used to describe cosmetics that cause comedones, more commonly known as blackheads and whiteheads.
Based on this information, mineral oil should rightfully be taken off the list of comedogenic substances, which was developed many years ago yet remains frequently quoted in dermatologic literature. Further, consumers searching for effective skin care products need not look for those that claim they are “mineral oil free” but rather those that state they are non-comedogenic.
So now you know – if mineral oil is present in your cosmetics, do not worry. One of the most popular and longest lived cleansers out there is Shu Uemura’s Cleansing Oil – and guess what that is made of? You got it – almost 100% ultra pure mineral oil.
Wow, I didn’t know that! I also believed the hype about mineral oil being bad for your skin, and yet I’ve been using a lotion called Eucerin for years which lists its 2nd ingredient as mineral oil. I even use it on my face in the winter, and it doesn’t clog my pores. I’m glad I can stop contradicting myself now, and stop looking for a great petrolium-free moisturizer. Thanks for teaching me something.
Yeah, I’ve been using it for years and nothing bad has happened yet. I think that it was my Mom that first told me to use it. If you can’t trust your mom… who can you trust?
Hmm, I am not a fan of mineral oil or petroleum (one in the same) at all. It’s not that I believe the hype, it’s more that it dries my skin out. Plus, I hate that greasy feeling. Yuck yuck yuck. I prefer my beeswax over mineral oil anyday.
On a sidenote, I was totally thrilled when I saw you listed me as one of your top ten blogs on Top 10 Sources. Can I hug you now? Did you see you are also on mine?
xoxo
Thats the stinky part of the virtual world – no live hugging! You are a great person, and you write a great blog, and as long as you are writing, you will be in my top favorites! And thats ok that you don’t like mineral oil, I won’t take any points off. Ha ha
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Cocoa Butter! This is the only lotion that I can use on my face without breaking out! I live in a very dry climate and my skin was so wrinkled and I am only 25! And I don’t tan! But cocoa butter works amazingly and has mineral oil as the second ingrediant, plus the butter is so much cheaper than that garabage “face lotion” stores sell for hundreds of dollars… no thanks. Cocoa butter is cheap and I use it all over my body and love it!
Are you sure its your dry climate causing wrinkling? Petroleum and mineral oil are said to cause premature aging. I am a few weeks shy of 32 and live in an area that is killer on my skin in the winter and I have no wrinkles at all. And, I don’t use petroleum and mineral oil on my face. No one says you have to use expensive moisturizers to work wonders on your skin. The one I use is $16 and has lasted me almost a year. I will have to throw it out before I’ve used it all simply due to shelf life.
If you live in a dry climate, make sure you are exfoliating too, as opposed to soley using a moisturizer.
Interesting story. We recently did a post about the 5 myths of mineral oil (http://thebeautybrains.com/2006/11/28/the-top-5-myths-about-mineral-oil-part-1/).
One of the myths is that it dries out your skin. It’s never been proven to do that. When we conduct controled moisturization studies we’ve never seen mineral oil drying out skin.
Incidentally, while mineral oil and petrolatum are derived from the same source (petroleum) they are definitely NOT the same ingredient. Mineral oil is a liquidy product while petrolatum is a thick paste. Chemically they are different too. A good analogy is comparing Vegetable Oil and Shortening. They are different. Petrolatum is actually the more effective skin moisturizer.