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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.
  • Products with this ingredient are allowed for use in EWG VERIFIED but must meet use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.

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Other Concerns

Persistence and bioaccumulation (low) and 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
● WHITE MINERAL OIL, PETROLEUM

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation

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 Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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moisturizer341 products
lip gloss332 products
lip balm199 products
lipstick157 products
eye shadow137 products
antiperspirant/deodorant119 products
facial moisturizer/treatment91 products
hair color and bleaching77 products
hair styling aide69 products
bronzer/highlighter65 products
conditioner63 products
hair treatment/serum61 products
hand cream59 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)56 products
recreational sunscreen53 products
mask45 products
eye liner42 products
lip plumper42 products
exfoliant/scrub37 products
concealer37 products
styling gel/lotion36 products
brow liner26 products
diaper cream25 products
baby oil25 products
foundation24 products
body oil23 products
depilatory22 products
facial cleanser22 products
blush22 products
bar soap22 products
lip balm with SPF21 products
sunless tanning20 products
lip liner17 products
body wash/cleanser16 products
hair removal waxes16 products
tanning oil12 products
baby lotion12 products
body firming lotion12 products
shaving cream11 products
facial powder11 products
foot moisturizer11 products
setting powder/spray11 products
around-eye cream10 products
anti-aging10 products
hair spray10 products
after shave9 products
damaged skin treatment9 products
beard care9 products
makeup remover8 products
bath oil/salts/soak7 products
skin fading/lightener7 products
cuticle treatment7 products
serums & essences7 products
glitter7 products
baby sunscreen7 products
nail treatment6 products
hair relaxer6 products
after sun product5 products
shampoo5 products
liquid hand soap4 products
makeup primer4 products
shaving cream (men's)3 products
eye makeup remover3 products
body spray3 products
BB cream3 products
daily use with SPF2 products
muscle/joint soreness2 products
2 products
foot odor control2 products
pore strips2 products
beard oil2 products
hand sanitizer2 products
depilatory (men's)1 products
baby soap1 products
styling mousse/foam1 products
nail polish1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
hair-loss treatment1 products
toners/astringents1 products
detangler1 products
body art1 products
fragrance for women1 products
makeup removing wipes1 products
body cleansing wipes1 products
beard cleanser1 products
hair perm1 products
nail glue1 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
Classified as medium human health priorityOpen scientific literature

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Ingredient is suspected or measured to accumulate in peopleOpen scientific literature
Not suspected to be persistentOpen scientific literature
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeOpen scientific literature

Cancer

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Cancer - limited evidenceScorecard.org Toxicity Information

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinOpen scientific literature

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.
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • 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.

Can’t find your product?

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