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.
Other Concerns
Persistence and bioaccumulation (low) and Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate)SYNONYMS
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.
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LOWCancer
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MODERATEAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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LOWUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
moisturizer | 341 products |
lip gloss | 332 products |
lip balm | 199 products |
lipstick | 157 products |
eye shadow | 137 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 119 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 91 products |
hair color and bleaching | 77 products |
hair styling aide | 69 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 65 products |
conditioner | 63 products |
hair treatment/serum | 61 products |
hand cream | 59 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 56 products |
recreational sunscreen | 53 products |
mask | 45 products |
eye liner | 42 products |
lip plumper | 42 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 37 products |
concealer | 37 products |
styling gel/lotion | 36 products |
brow liner | 26 products |
diaper cream | 25 products |
baby oil | 25 products |
foundation | 24 products |
body oil | 23 products |
depilatory | 22 products |
facial cleanser | 22 products |
blush | 22 products |
bar soap | 22 products |
lip balm with SPF | 21 products |
sunless tanning | 20 products |
lip liner | 17 products |
body wash/cleanser | 16 products |
hair removal waxes | 16 products |
tanning oil | 12 products |
baby lotion | 12 products |
body firming lotion | 12 products |
shaving cream | 11 products |
facial powder | 11 products |
foot moisturizer | 11 products |
setting powder/spray | 11 products |
around-eye cream | 10 products |
anti-aging | 10 products |
hair spray | 10 products |
after shave | 9 products |
damaged skin treatment | 9 products |
beard care | 9 products |
makeup remover | 8 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 7 products |
skin fading/lightener | 7 products |
cuticle treatment | 7 products |
serums & essences | 7 products |
glitter | 7 products |
baby sunscreen | 7 products |
nail treatment | 6 products |
hair relaxer | 6 products |
after sun product | 5 products |
shampoo | 5 products |
liquid hand soap | 4 products |
makeup primer | 4 products |
shaving cream (men's) | 3 products |
eye makeup remover | 3 products |
body spray | 3 products |
BB cream | 3 products |
daily use with SPF | 2 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 2 products |
2 products | |
foot odor control | 2 products |
pore strips | 2 products |
beard oil | 2 products |
hand sanitizer | 2 products |
depilatory (men's) | 1 products |
baby soap | 1 products |
styling mousse/foam | 1 products |
nail polish | 1 products |
baby bubble bath | 1 products |
hair-loss treatment | 1 products |
toners/astringents | 1 products |
detangler | 1 products |
body art | 1 products |
fragrance for women | 1 products |
makeup removing wipes | 1 products |
body cleansing wipes | 1 products |
beard cleanser | 1 products |
hair perm | 1 products |
nail glue | 1 products |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Human immune and respiratory toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics |
Possible human immune system toxicant or allergen | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as medium human health priority | Open scientific literature |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Ingredient is suspected or measured to accumulate in people | Open scientific literature |
Not suspected to be persistent | Open scientific literature |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Open scientific literature |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Cancer - limited evidence | Scorecard.org Toxicity Information |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Open scientific literature |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
4094 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA 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 SCORESHazard 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.
Data availability
The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.