Mineral Oil\\Paraffinum Liquidum\\Huile Minérale ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an occlusive emollient that forms a water-repellent film on skin and hair. It reduces moisture loss, adds slip, and helps protect compromised skin barriers in ointments, balms, creams, and hair products.
What does Mineral Oil\\Paraffinum Liquidum\\Huile Minérale do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an occlusive emollient that forms a water-repellent film on skin and hair. It reduces moisture loss, adds slip, and helps protect compromised skin barriers in ointments, balms, creams, and hair products.
Is Mineral Oil\\Paraffinum Liquidum\\Huile Minérale clean?
Cosmetic-grade material is highly purified, tightly specified for polycyclic aromatic impurity limits, and is generally low-irritation and non-sensitizing. Clean-beauty frameworks often restrict it because it is fossil-derived and does not fit natural-origin standards.
Is Mineral Oil\\Paraffinum Liquidum\\Huile Minérale sustainable?
This material is sourced from petroleum refining, so it is non-renewable and tied to fossil feedstocks. It is not readily biodegradable and can persist in the environment compared with many plant-derived emollients.
Is Mineral Oil\\Paraffinum Liquidum\\Huile Minérale COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because it is a petrochemical-derived material. From a Green Chemistry lens, its strengths are high stability and low reactivity, but its non-renewable origin and limited biodegradability are significant drawbacks.
How does Mineral Oil\\Paraffinum Liquidum\\Huile Minérale work chemically?
The molecule profile is a purified mixture of saturated hydrocarbons, mainly branched and cyclic alkanes selected for fluidity, clarity, and inertness. It is stable across normal cosmetic pH ranges, highly oxidation-resistant, and commonly used around 1 to 30% in emulsions, with higher levels in anhydrous balms and ointments.
Last updated 2026-05-13