True or False: Mineral Oil is the Devil

FALSE: Mineral oil is a synthetic occlusive oil that is made from the distillation of petrol in the production of gasoline. Which of course sounds bad but it's not!

It is also known as liquid paraffin, white oil, and liquid petrolatum. A by-product of this process is turned into hard paraffin wax and probably the most common product we all know about is Vaseline, which is a blend of mineral oil and waxes, all derived from the distillation of petroleum (hence the name ‘petroleum jelly.’)

Highly refined mineral oils and waxes and blends of the two are extremely common in cosmetic products. They are considered to be one of the most effective occlusive agents used in skincare products so it is a fantastic moisturiser.

There is zero basic science evidence to suggest that mineral oil clogs pores or contributes to acne. As long as it is refined and manufactured well, mineral oil is perfectly safe to use for all skin types; indeed, it is almost certainly in most of the skincare products you are using at the moment!