Mineral Oil is used in a wide variety of skincare and cosmetic products for its moisturizing properties, but lately this ingredient is getting a bad reputation and many are recommending to avoid it at all costs. But what’s the truth? Is Mineral Oil really that bad for skin or is its ill reputation undeserved?
What is mineral oil?
Mineral Oil is a colorless and odorless oil derived from petroleum, which is a natural substance extracted from the earth. There are several grades of Mineral Oil and the type used in cosmetics, called Cosmetic Grade Mineral Oil, is highly purified, not carcinogenic and doesn’t even resemble petroleum anymore.
Why is mineral oil used in beauty products?
Mineral Oil is used in many cosmetics and skincare products because it is inexpensive, rarely causes allergies or irritations and is considered to be one of the best moisturizing ingredients available. It creates a protective barrier on the skin that binds moisture in and prevents water loss, keeping skin hydrated. In addition, it has effective wound healing properties.
Does Mineral Oil clog pores?
Because Mineral Oil is an occlusive agent that forms a barrier on the surface, many people think it suffocates skin and clogs pores. But scientific studies have shown that, while Industrial Mineral Oil is comedogenic, Cosmetic Grade Mineral Oil isn’t. However, Mineral Oil should never be used in products that contain comedogenic ingredients or it’ll trap them into the skin, aggravating their effects and causing breakouts. In addition, those who suffer from acne should be careful when using products with Mineral Oil, as this ingredient can worsen this condition in some people. In this case, use of this ingredient should be avoided.
Mineral Oil and Collagen
Another misconception about Mineral Oil is that the occlusive barrier it creates doesn’t allow the collagen present in some skincare products to penetrate the skin. But collagen molecules wouldn’t be absorbed by the skin anyway simply because they are too big to penetrate it. Mineral Oil has no effect on them at all.
So, is mineral oil really bad for skin?
No, it isn’t. Products with mineral oil are safe, inexpensive, well tolerated by most people and effective at moisturizing the skin. Just don’t expect more than that. But unless your skin reacts badly to Mineral Oil there is no reason to stop using it. However, be careful not to use it in conjunction with comedogenic ingredients or breakouts could occur.
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This is good to know. I know a lot of people freak out when they see mineral oil in the ingredients list. Because of that, I stayed away from it too. Thanks for clearing it up Gio. I have a few breakouts here and there and my current tinted moisturizer has mineral oil in it and I don’t find that its making my skin worse – at least for now anyway, lol.
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I can’t use any moisturizer with mineral oil and I found out the hard way. I used La Mer once and got horrible break out from “the miracle cream.” It turns out La Mer contains petroleum-based products and my skin does not like them.
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Dee, you’re welcome. There is a lot of confusing and misleding information about mineral oil and it’s a shame that people are staying away from it for that. It really is an effective moisturizing ingredient and I’ve never had problems with it.
Products with minreal oil won’t damage the skin nor clog pores unless they contain comedogenic ingredients too. I always stay away from products with isopropyl palmitate or myristate at the top of the list cos they give me horrible breakouts! But a well-formulated product wouldn’t contain comedogenic ingredients and without those, mineral oil is perfectly fine and will moisturize skin without clogging pores.
Dao, that’s a shame. Mineral Oil is usually well-tolerated by most people but unfortunately it can cause problems for those with acne-prone skin and aggravate their condition.
I guess that shows that expensive products aren’t always better but I hope you didn’t pay the full price for the La Mer cream.
I have been using straight Vaseline (petroleum jelly – one step ‘up’ from mineral oil in both thickness and bad press!) on my face as a moisturizer since I was 12. I’m in my 40′s now and I have yet to see any lines – even around my eyes, none at all – or loss of firmness of any kind in my skin. It is my ‘open secret’ – people ask me all the time what I do to my skin and when I tell them they usually look blank and then want to know what the real secret is. I’ve done a lot of research on it and found only things that convince me more that it is safe and adds no further burden on the environment (no need to test on animals, since it has been around so long and tested enough in the past; it is a byproduct of an oil-refining process that would occur anyway, whether you got petrolatum or not, so might as well make good use of it). It heals cuts like magic! I get big tubs in my Christmas stocking every year! You have to use the kind that says USP though – otherwise no way to tell for sure if it has been purified to highest-grade standards and free of contaminants.
Kristen, I’m glad vaseline works so well for you.There really is no secret to aging well but using effective ingredients helps a lot. It’s a perfectly ok and safe ingredient and it’s a shame many people refuse to use it due to unjustified bad press.
Well said. Thanks so much. I’ve a small baby and it has been our habit to apply baby oil on her chest and back before giving her a bath. Then I suddenly read some articles claiming that mineral oil isn’t good for our skin. I’m glad that you clear the issue out.
Lots of love,
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Golden, you’re welcome. It’s a shame there are so many misconceptions about mineral oil that only scare people unneccessarily. It’s a fine, safe and very moisturizing ingredient and there really is no reason not to use it. I’m happy this article helped set the record straight.
Hi. I recently purchased a moisturizer (ponds dry skin cream) that has mineral oil, isopropyl palmitate, stearic acid, and cetyl alcohol. I’m guessing I shouldn’t use it? :p It was recommended by someone who is pretty in the know-how about skin, but only after I purchased it did I notice she said that the only problem she had with it was that it contained mineral oil. After I looked it up it sounded pretty nasty, but this article made me give a second thought – but it does have these comedogenic ingredients…
I did get one pimple shortly after use, but I had been trying several new skin products so I’m not sure which was the culprit. I have been using it on my rosacea, (which is in the only particularly dry area of my face) but not the area of which pimples were produced. But I also read that mineral oil can do unseen damage to your skin that is only visible when you stop using the product…
Darn. I really wanted to use this product, but it just seems to be getting worse and worse :p I want to try Olay Complete, but they introduced this new formula that everyone hates, and it is already in every store, replacing the old formula.
Anita, first of all I apologize for my late answer but I’ve been away for a few days and still trying to catch up on comments. From the ingredients you mentioned, the Pond Cream seems to be a very basic formula as most products use them too. I guess most of its hydrating properties come from mineral oil, which is one of the best moisturizing ingredients available.
I don’t have any problems with Mineral Oil in skincare products. All the negative things you hear come from natural cosmetics companies that try to sell more products by scaring people into believing Mineral Oil is bad. But I haven’t come across any scientific studies yet that show Mineral Oil causes unseen damage at all.
I’m actually more concerned with Isopropyl Palmitate, which is very comedogenic. Every time I use a product that states it at the top of the ingredient list, I get horrible breakouts. Mineral Oil instead is not comedogenic, but it is occlusive. That means that Mineral Oil per se won’t cause breakouts, but it tends to trap the other ingredients in the skin and if these ingredients are comedogenic like Isopropyl Palmiate, then breakouts can occurr.
Personally, I would try this product and see how my skin reacts. If you get breakouts, throw it away. Otherwise, there’s no reason not to use it. Hope this helps.
Thanks! During this time I had decided to stop using it on my face (still found a use for it though, it works great on my arms) and just started using regular lotion (without mineral oil) on my face…the funny thing is that this lotion I started using is a new formula that skips the mineral oil and it actually gave me a pimple, whereas the old formula did not. I have eczema, I wonder if that has something to do with it. I don’t want to blame the products because I could just be getting a random pimple. Lol, it’s a mystery, I suppose I will just have to keep trying around to find the right one.
Anita, you’re welcome. I’m glad you still found an use for the cream. Mineral Oil isn’t comedogenic, people just assume it is because it is occlusive but if the ingredients it traps underneath aren’t comedogenic there’s not much chance of getting pimples. I guess that could be a random pimple. Maybe try using the cream a few more days and see how it goes. If you don’t get any more pimples, it may be just a random one but if you keep getting zits, ditch it.
and NOW, I’ve switched back to ponds, because the other cream I had started using gave me THREE PIMPLES. Very random. Lol thanks for your help
Anita, I’m sorry you got more pimples. I guess the cream you were using must have been the culprit then. And you’re welcome. I’m glad I could help
Thank you for this post! I’ve always thought mineral oil got an undeserved bad repuation. Sure it’s not for everyone, but for me it’s wonderful. I wrote about it in my blog.
http://polkadotglam.wordpress.com/2010/05/21/mia-lately-artifical-nails-and-body-moisturizer-tips/
Shelle, thank you for this post and I’m glad to know I’m not the only one that doesn’t seem to have a problem with mineral oil. It’s cheap, very moisturizing and isn’t dangerous for your health so I don’t see any reason not to use it. I’ll go check out your post now
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