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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

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

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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lip gloss330 products
moisturizer267 products
lip balm252 products
eye shadow164 products
lipstick160 products
antiperspirant/deodorant129 products
facial moisturizer/treatment88 products
hair color and bleaching74 products
bronzer/highlighter71 products
conditioner65 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)59 products
hair treatment/serum59 products
foundation58 products
body firming lotion57 products
hair styling aide55 products
concealer53 products
eye liner46 products
recreational sunscreen43 products
hand cream39 products
styling gel/lotion38 products
mask36 products
lip plumper35 products
blush33 products
body oil31 products
brow liner30 products
baby oil28 products
exfoliant/scrub27 products
diaper cream24 products
facial powder24 products
lip balm with SPF24 products
body wash/cleanser22 products
bar soap20 products
sunless tanning18 products
foot moisturizer16 products
lip liner16 products
tanning oil14 products
facial cleanser14 products
hair removal waxes13 products
setting powder/spray12 products
glitter12 products
makeup remover11 products
depilatory10 products
baby lotion9 products
hair spray9 products
around-eye cream8 products
skin fading/lightener8 products
shaving cream7 products
nail treatment7 products
after shave7 products
damaged skin treatment7 products
makeup primer7 products
mascara7 products
after sun product6 products
cuticle treatment6 products
hair relaxer6 products
serums & essences6 products
beard care6 products
anti-aging5 products
muscle/joint soreness5 products
baby sunscreen5 products
4 products
bubble bath4 products
eye makeup remover3 products
daily use with SPF3 products
foot odor control3 products
bath oil/salts/soak2 products
shaving cream (men's)2 products
liquid hand soap2 products
body spray2 products
foot cleansing2 products
BB cream2 products
pore strips2 products
beard oil2 products
depilatory (men's)1 products
baby soap1 products
shampoo1 products
styling mousse/foam1 products
nail polish1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
hair-loss treatment1 products
toners/astringents1 products
detangler1 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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