The notion that mineral oil and petrolatum (Vaseline) are bad for skin has been around for some time, with Aveda being the most visible company to mount a crusade deriding these ingredients. But now there are dozens of others. According to many companies that produce “natural” cosmetics, mineral oil and petrolatum are terrible ingredients because they come from crude oil (petroleum) and are used in industry as metal-cutting fluids (among other uses) and, therefore, can harm the skin by forming an oil film and suffocating it.
This foolish, recurring misinformation about mineral oil and petrolatum is maddening. After all, crude oil is as natural as any other earth-derived substance. Moreover, lots of ingredients are derived from awful-sounding sources but are nevertheless benign and totally safe. Salt is a perfect example. Common table salt is sodium chloride, composed of sodium and chloride, but salt doesn’t have the caustic properties of chloride (a form of chlorine) or the unstable explosiveness of sodium. In fact, it is a completely different compound with the harmful properties of neither of its components.
Cosmetic/pharmaceutical-grade mineral oil and petrolatum are considered the safest and most nonirritating ingredients in the world of skin care. Yes, they can keep air off the skin to some extent, but that’s what a good antioxidant is supposed to do; and they don’t suffocate skin, at least not any more than any plant oil. In fact research shows plant oils and mineral oil have pretty much the same function on skin.
Moreover, petrolatum and mineral oil are known for being efficacious in wound healing, and are also considered to be among the most effective moisturizing ingredients available. The confusion around mineral oil is also caused by some cosmetics companies and people who use the information about non-purified mineral oil as a scare tactic. The mineral oil used in skin-care products is certified as either USP (United States Pharmacopeia) or BP (British Pharmacopeia). This is the type that’s used in skin-care products, and it’s completely safe, soothing, non-irritating, and perfectly healthy for skin.
(Sources: Journal of Dermatologic Science, May 2008, pages 135-142; International Journal of Cosmetic Science, October 2007, pages 385-390; European Journal of Ophthalmology, March-April 2007, pages 151-159; International Wound Journal, September 2006, pages 181-187; Ostomy Wound Management, December 2005, pages 30-42; Dermatitis, September 2004, pages 109-116; Cosmetics & Toiletries, January 2001, page 79; Cosmetic Dermatology, September 2000, pages 44-46; and Cosmetics & Toiletries, February 1998, pages 33-40.)