Why is mineral oil bad for your skin?

Question

I have heard that mineral oil is bad for your skin. Is it really?

Answer 1

I don't know where you heard that from, but they were incorrect. Mineral oil is used in almost all of today's topical creams and lotions to rehydrate the skin.

Do you think Baby oil is safe for the baby's skin? Guess what it is made out of? You got it, mineral oil plus frangrances to make it smell appealing. So, unless you are using an organic oil, such as olive, you in some shape or form are using mineral oil. It is safe.

Chemically speaking, oil is oil. It is a mixture of hydrocarbons and alkali, so it doesn't matter what oil is placed on the skin, the skin treats it as the same compound.

Answer 2

There is an article I read about here, however, I have also read articles claiming these to be myths, but I wonder if its because they are sponsers or distributors of products that contain mineral oil. Anyways, here is the article below that I left for you to read:
Mineral oil is derived from petroleum and may be contaminated with cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Mineral oil aggravates acne and negatively impacts skin function, causing it to age prematurely. This oil is a common ingredient in anything that requires a smooth gliding action, and may be listed under different names, including petrolatum or paraffinum.
Features
Mineral oil acts as a moisturizing agent only to the extent that it keeps the area of skin that it is applied to moist, but It actually seals off your skin, preventing it to breath.

Answer 3

My make-up remover contain mineral oil and I use it everyday, my friends say that my skin is better nowaday.
I learn this from a beaty book, below are the step:

- put few drop on palm, warm it by rubbing with 2 hands, then massage it on the face and rinse it with water. Most makeup contain "oil" , so you need "oil" to remove "oil", water cannot remove oil base product.

- Not to forget next step, to remove the oilly-ness, you need to use a soap cleanser or foam cleanser, just like detergent for oily plate. After cleansing, your face should feel the same as thru rubbing your finger on a clean plate (the sound), which mean is really clean now.
DONT use scrub cleanser, in long run, it will make your skin sensitive.

- Soap or foam cleanser will make skin dry, so after toning, MUST complete the process with moisturizer, it will be better if you use essence.

Answer 4

Great question! The molecular structure of mineral oil is actually too large to penetrate the pores of our skin. So, it sits on the top layer like saran wrap and gives us a false, temporary feeling of softness. What actually happens is, this allows dirt and debris to collect on our skin. Also, because it does not penetrate, it gets wiped off over time giving us little to no benefit. We need great water based products to penetrate the dermis and deliver vitamins and minerals to deeply condition and hydrate our skin. Try this. Take two saltine crackers and put 1 in water and the other is baby oil (fragrance and mineral oil). Leave them in there for a while and see what happens. The water will completely penetrate the cracker. The cracker in baby oil will be just as hard and crisp as it was when you first put it in there. You can leave the cracker in the baby oil for two weeks and you'll still get the same result. This is the same result that we get when we apply products with mineral oil to our skin. YUCK! If you have any other questions, I'll be happy to help you. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Mineral oil has gotten a bad rap because it is it is made from petroleum...something that the "all natural" cosmetic lines associate with the devil. The fact is, is that mineral oil and petrolatum (Vaseline) are both made from petroleum, which naturally comes from the earth...it is NOT synthetic. Once it becomes mineral oil, it has no resemblance to the original petroleum. Cosmetics-grade mineral oil and petrolatum are considered the safest, most nonirritating moisturizing ingredients ever found. The molecular structure of Mineral Oil will not allow it to become a solid and therefore it WILL NOT clog your pores.
http://paulaschoice.com/learn/dictionary.asp?keys=mineral+oil&pos=1&type=FIND

Answer 6

Yes mineral oils is bad for the skin.
It causes milia on the surface of the skin which is tiny white heads full of hard sebum.
A professional can remove these with a lanzet.
Alot of eye products will contain this, try to avoid those products.

Answer 7

Mineral oil is awful for your skin but it's found in many cheaper products in the market today.

The reason is that its made of synthetic oils that clog your pores. This means your skin is unable to breathe and it also creates a haven for bacteria that get trapped in your pores along with the oil.

Organic/Vegetable based oils are always better

Answer 8

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Answer 9

it causes your skin too not breathe . meaning congestion within the skin and all sorts of other things it can cause for instance skin disorders if used for a very long period of time. i would advise you to use if you wish to use any oil is a vegetable oil or a almond oil which is great for your skin.

Answer 10

Your skin is your largest organ. Your skin needs to breathe, and mineral oil prevents that from happening. It basically suffocates the skin.