One of the ingredients in skin care products that I’m totally against as a former serious acne sufferer and still occasional breakout sufferer (I’m a stress break out kinda gal), is mineral oil.
Mineral oil probably sounds natural and harmless, but it actually is a biproduct of petroleum, which is the same base that we use for the gasoline and oil that fills our gas tanks and powers our cars. Yeah, that drippy, oily, thick stuff.
Mineral oil is used in a LOT of products, because it is cheap and easily accessible though, so you do need to be diligent in reading the ingredient labels to make sure you’re not getting any of this stuff in you skin care products. It can go by other names as well, it’s not always labeled as “mineral oil”.
Mineral oil can be labeled as paraffin oil, paraffin, petrolatum, albline, lignite, glymol, and more. If you see an ingredient that has the base “petro” in it, chances are, it may be a mineral oil derivative. Why is mineral oil not recommended in skin care products, especially those with acne?
Well, it is a pore clogger for starters. It does not allow the skin to breathe, and coats the pores, instead of letting them breathe as well as not allowing them to trap dirt, oil and other things that cause acne postules to form from inflamed and infected pores.
Mineral oil is also questionable as far as safety goes, since it is a derivative of petrolatum. I personally don’t feel comfortable using it on my skin since it can be toxic, and all products that I put on my skin are absorbed directly into my blood stream with no filter, as they get when I eat something and it goes through the digestive system.
There are plenty of safe and more natural, breathable ingredients that can be in moisturizers for the skin. Those skin care products that are labeled noncomedogenic will usually not contain mineral oil in any capacity, so those are usually pretty safe.
Baby oil is made almost entirely of mineral oil, so try to avoid ever using baby oil on your body for anything. You may not even want to use it on your child and find a safer alternative. I remember all those times when I was WAY younger, slathering myself in baby oil so I would tan better. More like burn usually!
I also remember that I would inevitably break out in zits where I had applied the oil, which only confirms why those with acne problems should not use it.
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