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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Good

Mineral Oil

  • †This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.

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Other Concerns

Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)

SYNONYMS

DEOBASE, HEAVY MINERAL OIL, LIGHT MINERAL OIL, LIQUID PARAFFIN, LIQUID PETROLATUM, MINERAL OIL, MINERAL OIL HYDROCARBON SOLVENT (PETROLEUM); MINERAL OIL (SATURATED PARRAFIN OIL), PARAFFIN OIL, PARAFFIN OILS, PARAFFINUM LIQUIDUM, PETROLEUM WHITE MINERAL OIL, PROLATUM OIL, and WHITE MINERAL OIL, PETROLEUM

Mineral Oil is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • MODERATE
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reingredientive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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lip gloss332 products
lip balm311 products
moisturizer278 products
eye shadow180 products
lipstick155 products
antiperspirant/deodorant148 products
foundation89 products
bronzer/highlighter82 products
facial moisturizer/treatment68 products
hair styling aide57 products
conditioner52 products
hair treatment/serum52 products
hair color and bleaching51 products
concealer49 products
recreational sunscreen48 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)44 products
hand cream39 products
styling gel/lotion34 products
baby oil34 products
lip plumper34 products
diaper cream33 products
mask33 products
blush33 products
body oil30 products
body firming lotion29 products
facial powder27 products
brow liner26 products
lip balm with SPF25 products
exfoliant/scrub24 products
baby lotion23 products
body wash/cleanser22 products
sunless tanning21 products
tanning oil19 products
eye liner19 products
foot moisturizer17 products
bar soap15 products
lip liner14 products
depilatory11 products
makeup remover11 products
hair removal waxes11 products
glitter11 products
shaving cream8 products
facial cleanser8 products
skin fading/lightener8 products
damaged skin treatment8 products
mascara8 products
after sun product7 products
hair relaxer7 products
hair spray7 products
7 products
baby sunscreen6 products
eye makeup remover5 products
daily use with SPF5 products
makeup primer5 products
around-eye cream4 products
anti-aging4 products
bubble bath4 products
bath oil/salts/soak3 products
oil controller3 products
cuticle treatment3 products
body spray3 products
muscle/joint soreness3 products
BB cream3 products
foot odor control3 products
nail treatment2 products
after shave2 products
baby soap2 products
styling mousse/foam2 products
liquid hand soap2 products
hair-loss treatment2 products
foot cleansing2 products
serums & essences2 products
pore strips2 products
beard care2 products
beard oil2 products
shaving cream (men's)1 products
depilatory (men's)1 products
shampoo1 products
toners/astringents1 products
detangler1 products
setting powder/spray1 products
body art1 products
fragrance for women1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human immune and respiratory toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceAssociation of Occupational and Environmental Clinics
Possible human immune system toxicant or allergenNational Library of Medicine HazMap

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Cancer

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Cancer - limited evidenceScorecard.org Toxicity Information

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
4094 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food
  • AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2009. AEOC exposures codes and asthmagen designation.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • ED (Environmental Defense). 2006. Scorecard _ The Pollution Information Site. http://www.scorecard.org.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED™ mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

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