Skin Care

What Exactly Is Mineral Oil and Why Is It So Controversial?

Good, bad or somewhere in between?

by Heather Cichowski | COMMENT

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Why Is Mineral Oil Controversial? The fact that mineral oil is a byproduct of gasoline is the big issue. It's a non-renewable resource that's bad for the environment as it adds to global pollution and the destruction of ecosystems, celebrity aesthetician Biba de Sousa says. Plus, there's controversy about whether it has contaminant left from the processing of petroleum and crude oil.

At times, some unscrupulous formulators used poor quality, impure mineral oil with potential comedogenic and carcinogenic properties, Kraffert says. Times have changed, however, and now virtually all skin care product manufacturers use only pure cosmetic grade mineral oil in their products.

Also an issue is the fact that mineral oil sits on top of skin, Foley says. While useful as a skin barrier, mineral oil doesn't moisturize skin on a long-term basis because it doesn't sink into pores, and it doesn't bring any additional hydration to the skin. It simply traps what's there, which has pore-clogging, pimple-causing potential. Grossman adds that mineral oil can aggravate acne and those who have oily skin might fight it too greasy.

Image via Target

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