Is mineral oil harmful in cosmetics? Mineral oil in cosmetics - what you really need to know

The full and long-term operation of the automobile motor is the key to a long service life of the car and the absence of problems for the owner. Mineral engine oil differs from other lubricating compounds in that it is made on a completely mineral basis using a special technology by distillation of oil.

Among the key differences between mineral oil, instability of characteristics is distinguished, but this is characteristic only of old lubricating fluids, and with modern products everything has changed somewhat. Mineral oils are made even from industrial crops, so they are an order of magnitude cheaper than synthetic fluids.

Distinctive features of mineral oils

First, let's figure out what is mineral oil for a car engine? This lubricant contains additional substances and all kinds of additives. They enhance the efficiency of the fluid and give it new properties that are useful for the internal parts of the motor. Among the main additives that are present in 5w-40 or 10w-40 mineral oils are:

detergents;
anticorrosive;
antiwear.

The names of the types of additives in mineral motor oil speak for themselves. Anti-corrosion agents are needed to protect metal elements from corrosion, detergents wash away deposits with contaminants, and anti-wear agents are needed to extend the life of the motor.
Additives have one key feature, which is the following: at high operating temperatures and mechanical friction, they break down, as a result of which the lubricant becomes ineffective and must be replaced. Without additives, the lubricant works much worse and the motor wears out faster.

Traditionally, motorists have the impression that mineral lubricants freeze at low ambient temperatures and become very thick. This is why special additives are needed to help the liquid retain its properties even in severe frost.

What is included in the mineral water?

Mineral oil for internal combustion engines has a certain composition, depending on the manufacturer and type of oil. The composition of the liquid may include hydrocarbons, tar and asphalt compounds. However, they are not the basis for the manufacture of individual components.

In addition to the base composition, each lubricant contains additives to improve the quality of mineral oil. At the same time, white and traditional mineral oil has a number of disadvantages that are associated with additives. Under the influence of operating temperatures, they quickly burn out.

About the viscosity of mineral water

Viscosity is one of the key parameters of any oil, including mineral oil. In this lubricating fluid, the viscosity varies depending on the operating temperature of the motor. For the normal functioning of the internal combustion engine, the viscosity must be within certain limits, indicating the minimum and maximum boundaries. This allows you to start the engine in cold weather and save the engine after warming up. The liquid should not be too fluid, otherwise a sufficiently strong film will not be created on the rubbing parts.

Mineral oil has a viscosity index that characterizes the dependence of viscosity on temperature. This index is a dimensionless quantity, not measured in specific units. The number indicates the degree of oil dilution, so the higher the index, the wider the operating temperature range in which the engine functions normally.

In mineral oils without viscosity additives, the index ranges from 85 to 100, and with additives it reaches 120. A low viscosity index can make it difficult to start the engine at sub-zero temperatures, and with it the engine will be poorly protected after warming up.

According to the SAE parameter, mineral oils are of several types:

10W-30;
10W-40;
15W-40.

The numbers on either side of the W determine the temperature range for mineral oil, but it's not that simple. For example, the operating range of 10W-40 oil varies from -20 to +35 degrees, and at +100 degrees the viscosity will reach 12.5–16.3 units.

Therefore, when choosing a mineral oil for internal combustion engines, one must be aware that in such liquids, the viscosity changes inversely with temperature: the hotter the oil, the less viscous it becomes.

The thickness of the film that is created between the contact parts of the engine depends on the viscosity. Accordingly, the motor resource and the correct functioning of the motor depend on it. If the film is thin, the motor will wear out quickly, in particular, this applies to the camshaft cam.

Other operating parameters of mineral water

An important advantage of mineral oil for an automobile engine is its affordable price, but you need to remember about the shortcomings of the lubricating fluid. Compliance with the rules for operating the fluid will improve the operation of the internal combustion engine, extending its service life. Properly selected lubricant will protect mechanisms from corrosion and wear.

Additional characteristics of mineral oil for the engine include:

Flash point is an indicator of light-boiling fractions. The volatility of the oil during operation depends on it. Low-quality fluids have a low flash point, resulting in increased lubricant consumption.
The ability of the liquid to neutralize harmful acids and counteract deposits due to the content of active additives in the composition depends on the base number.
Freezing temperature. This is another important parameter of mineral oil, on which the pour point of the oil and the deterioration of its fluidity due to paraffin crystallization depend.
Acid number - the content of oxidation products in the lubricant composition depends on it.

How is mineral water inferior to synthetic oils?

Mineral oil in cosmetics - what is it?
What products contain mineral oils?
What is mineral oil used in cosmetics?
Does it make sense to choose cosmetics without mineral oils?
Myths about the dangers of mineral oil and refutation

Mineral oils have many opponents. On the wave of popularity natural cosmetics with ingredients of plant origin, they claim that these oils, refined products, are harmful to the skin in its purest form. At the same time, they turn a blind eye to many nuances that indicate otherwise. Recently, we have already talked about the pros and cons of ingredients such as and. What can be said about the presence of mineral oil in cosmetics? Is it good or bad? Let's figure it out right now.

Mineral oil in cosmetics - what is it?

Mineral oils are hydrocarbons extracted from petroleum. Unlike technical mineral oil, cosmetic oil undergoes multi-stage processing and purification. Thanks to this, impurities that could harm the skin do not remain in it. Cleaning, by the way, is specially made in such a way as to adapt the properties of the final product to the characteristics and needs of the skin; vegetable oils lack this advantage.

In cosmetics, this ingredient has several functions at once. It is largely responsible for the comfort of the texture. On the skin, mineral oil creates the thinnest film that retains moisture. At the same time, it has “zero” comedogenicity. Also, this ingredient has a dissolving ability - therefore, it is included in the composition of special oils for make-up removal. In other products, this property allows it to exfoliate dead skin particles.

What are mineral oils?

The division of mineral oils into technical and cosmetic ones is not the only one. They differ in their characteristics, such as texture, for example. Paraffin wax, for example, leaves a greasy feel and is often compared to wax. Ceresin is just a mineral wax. Oily vaseline, produced in the form of an ointment, also enters beauty products in the same form. The choice of one or another type of mineral oil depends on the product to which it is added. Creams, for example, need a more viscous texture than cleansers.

It is worth noting that, in addition to the standard cosmetic mineral oil, which is suitable for inclusion in creams and lotions, there is a pharmaceutical or medical mineral oil of the highest quality. Sometimes it is used not only in medicines, but also in cosmetics, increasing the level of confidence in the ingredient. Based on pharmaceutical oils, care products are made for the smallest.

Cosmetic mineral oil: good or bad?

We all use mineral oils in one way or another. This ingredient is found in many products, and manufacturers have objective reasons to supplement the formulas of their cosmetics with such oils.

pros

Minuses

If we talk about the minuses of mineral oils, then it is worth noting that products with a high content of this ingredient in the composition are not recommended for oily and problem skin. During the day, an oily film appears on it, and this effect should not be enhanced.

Many negatively perceive the fact that the softness of the skin, which these substances provide, disappears when you wash off the cosmetics from the face. The thing is that mineral oils, as we have already said, do not interact with the skin and do not improve it “from the inside”.

Like other herbal ingredients, these oils can cause allergies; they are not adapted to the properties of the skin. It would be naive to assume that vegetable oils get into cosmetics in their natural form (and that this is due to their benefits). They are also being processed.

What do you know about the properties of mineral oils? Write a comment.

Mineral oil in cosmetics is found mainly in face and body care products. Sometimes you can find the statement that it is harmful to the skin, because it has an unnatural origin. It is worth considering whether such fears are justified.

Mineral oil in cosmetics is not necessarily harmful

The benefits and harms of mineral oil in cosmetics

Oils are the basis of many cosmetics. They can be vegetable and artificial origin. Vegetable oil, as well as fats of animal origin, are natural, well absorbed into the skin and are considered the most beneficial.

But it's fresh. The main disadvantage is that they quickly deteriorate, which is why it is necessary to add various stabilizers and preservatives to cosmetics. And this is not good for the skin at all.

Mineral oil has a longer shelf life, so you can do without unnecessary chemicals.

It also has a number of other advantages:

Forms a film on the skin that prevents it from drying out. Therefore, it is perfect for moisturizers.
It does not clog pores, that is, it does not have a comedogenic effect.
It does not cause allergies, therefore it is suitable for use even by infants.
Protects the skin from harmful substances.
Ideal as a base for pharmaceutical skin treatments that should not be absorbed into its lower layers.

Since mineral oil is not absorbed, it is not suitable as a nutrient, but for moisturizing and protecting it is exactly what you need.

The use of mineral oil in cosmetics is not a new phenomenon. Even our grandmothers widely used Vaseline, the basis of which is just mineral oil, to soften the skin of their hands. However, some need to be careful with its use.

Precautionary measures

Owners of oily and problematic skin fatty cosmetics should be avoided, whether they are based on vegetable or mineral oil. They can cause increased fat content.

What is mineral oil?

Mineral oil (Paraffinum Liquidum) is a colorless and odorless substance that is actually a derivative of petroleum. Mineral oils (hydrocarbons) include:

Paraffin - paraffin
Vaseline - Vaseline
Ceresin - ceresin
Petrolatum - petrolatum
C13-14 isoparaffin and C13-16 isoparaffin - isoparaffin
Microcrystalline wax - microcrystalline wax

Mineral oil comes in two categories: technical and cosmetic. Cosmetic mineral oil, unlike technical oil, undergoes a multi-stage purification from harmful impurities, which most often cause skin problems. On the basis of cosmetic mineral oil, cosmetics of all varieties and types, as well as pharmaceutical ointments, are created.

And is it safe?

Currently, mineral oil is approved for use in cosmetic products in the US, UK and EU. However, a natural question arises - why do manufacturers of natural cosmetics refuse to use mineral oil, and certification bodies have included it in the list of "prohibited ingredients"? Because, firstly, mineral oil is obtained from a non-renewable natural source - oil. Secondly, mineral oil production methods are unlikely to comply with the environmental production principles allowed by organic certification bodies. From this point of view, the use of mineral oil is meaningless and unacceptable, especially since there are such excellent natural analogues as vegetable oils and waxes.

What is mineral oil used for in cosmetics?

Mineral oil does not interact with the skin, its main purpose is to protect the skin from moisture loss. The film created on the surface of the skin slows down the evaporation of water, due to which the skin looks more hydrated and smooth. The disadvantage of mineral oil is that this very film can slow down the process of skin regeneration, because the cells stop receiving the signal in time that the skin barrier needs to be restored. The skin is a living organ that can regenerate itself, it is important not to interfere with it. Mineral oil creams can be a hindrance, preventing the skin from re-establishing its own cycle of repair and hydration.

It clogs pores!

Concerning clogged pores, then a study conducted in 2005 (DiNardo, J.C. Is mineral oil comedogenic? J. Cosmet. Dermatol., 2005, 4, 2–3) showed the low comedogenicity of mineral oil, which, of course, does not exclude the individual intolerance of this component .

Is there a natural alternative?

Manufacturers who make traditional cosmetics often talk about the indispensability of mineral oil. However, there are ingredients that can also form a film on the skin - they are replaced by mineral oil manufacturers of natural cosmetics. Instead of mineral oil in natural cosmetics, they use:

Lanolin (animal wax): Lanolin
Squalene and its derivative squalane (vegetable source): Squalene \ Squalane
Vegetable oils, mostly solids: Butyrospermum Parkii Butter (shea butter), Mangifera indica seed oil (mango butter), Theobroma cacao seedbutter (cocoa butter).
Natural waxes: Cera Alba (beeswax), Candelilla wax (candelilla wax), Rosa Damascena Flower Wax ( floral wax from rose petals).

Natural ingredients can be compared to a house - they are made up of many "building blocks" such as essential fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants. The skin disassembles them into separate components and is used for its own restoration and nutrition. This is one of the main advantages of natural ingredients over mineral oil, which has only one function - film formation.

Mineral oil: when to give up principles

And, at the same time, the property of mineral oil to form an impermeable film can sometimes be useful. For example, cosmetics creator Tiina Orasma believes that mineral oil increases the UV absorption factor and works well when paired with titanium dioxide mineral UV filter to enhance the protective properties of a sunscreen product. At the same time, the question of a plume of non-degradable mineral oil left by bathers in coastal areas, of course, remains open.

There is no getting away from mineral oil even if you buy a pharmacy ointment - almost all of them contain this ingredient as a base, as well as special creams that are prescribed by a dermo-cosmetologist in difficult times for the skin:

When the skin barrier is damaged and cannot repair itself, such as in psoriasis or atopic dermatitis.
After salon peels (acid, laser) to maintain the required level of moisture in the most acute period for the skin.
During an exacerbation, owners of dry sensitive skin.

Mineral oil in baby products

Mineral oil is often used in baby products such as massage oils and diaper rash creams. Since a lot of natural baby creams based on vegetable oils are currently available, the use of creams with mineral oil seems to be an extremely dubious exercise ...

Foreword by the author of this blog: We, adherents of everything natural, are often accused of sectarianism. This is nonsense, on the contrary, the articles that I publish on this site contain a bunch of links to scientific research. We must understand that not everything "natural" is good, and not everything "artificial" is bad.

For example, mineral oil, many are accused of all mortal sins. Actually it is not. Below I have brought you a good article by dermatologist-researcher Dr. Jetsky Ulti. Read this article and you will find out the whole truth about whether mineral oil is harmful or beneficial in cosmetics.

Myths and half-truths

Not too long ago, I heard a sales consultant trying to convince a client that if she still wants to look good twenty years from now, she absolutely must buy a particular cosmetic product containing a special substance that costs more than two hundred euros. A little later, a young woman left the store not only with this miracle product, but also with eye cream, serum, night cream, mask and toner from the same brand.

Before that, in my blog, I wrote a lot about the mythical properties that are attributed to eye creams, night creams, anti-wrinkle creams, serums and "green" pseudo-natural cosmetics. Today I decided to talk about mineral oils. There are many funny stories about it too. It is high time to raise this issue, despite the risk of getting a lot of "angry letters" from ardent opponents of mineral oil ...

Mineral oils used in cosmetic products are derived from petroleum (fossil fuel). Oil is the remains of plant and animal life (plankton and algae) that have been exposed to very high pressures and temperatures deep within the earth's crust. As long as it sounds quite natural, doesn't it?

When oil is extracted from the ground, before it is used, it must pass complex processes, distillation and purification (petroleum refining). Oils used for domestic purposes or in automobiles are already very well refined, but the mineral oil used in skin care products is processed so thoroughly that almost nothing remains of the original oil.

This refined material, which is called "white oil", is also used in the manufacture of medicines. By the way, just so you know, vegetable oils go through the same cleaning processes as mineral oils before they become suitable for use on the skin.

Where can we meet them?

The cosmetics industry is a big fan of petroleum products. The fact is that mineral oil is cheap, colorless and odorless, almost does not oxidize and can be easily stored for a long time. As a result, it has been used in so many cosmetic products. In fact, almost all so-called baby oils are composed almost entirely of mineral oil. If you think you don't use any mineral oil, just take a good look at the labels of your cosmetics. Liquid paraffin (liquid paraffin), paraffin oil (paraffin oil, paraffinum liquidum), liquid vaseline (petrolatum liquid, petroleum oil), white mineral oil (white mineral oil), white oil - all these are petroleum products!

Vaseline (vaseline, petrolatum) is close relative mineral oil. Due to its waxy structure, it is not as liquid, but still belongs to the same family. Vaseline, for example, is the main ingredient in Elizabeth Arden's famous 8 hour cream.

Long live mineral oil!

Mineral oils have been used in cosmetics for several decades, but this was not the case about 15 years ago. Gradually, rumors arose that mineral oils caused acne, did not allow the skin to breathe properly, and could cause all sorts of health problems. According to adherents of natural cosmetics, vegetable oils are much safer and better for the skin than natural oils. Rumors are rumors, but there is no smoke without fire! It's time to present the results of some studies.

As I wrote on my blog, just because a cosmetic ingredient is "botanical" does not necessarily mean that the ingredient or product is good or even safe. There are many vegetable oils that are more hazardous to health than mineral oils.

For example, it is known that if hydrocyanic acid is not completely removed from almond oil after rectification, it can be deadly poisonous. That is why in most cosmetics, almond oil has been replaced with synthetic flavors. Health problems can cause oils of camphor, horseradish, pennyroyal, wormwood, thuja.

It is also known that several hazardous substances contained in unrefined vegetable oils, such as, for example, 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol can be carcinogenic. Moreover, in the past, in order to make vegetable oils even cheaper, poorly refined mineral oil was added to them. Mineral particles are found even on raw vegetable oils. They can appear not only as a result of contamination of the product (for example, by packaging material), but also because paraffin mineral particles occur naturally in vegetable oils.

A lot of research has been done on the safety of cosmetic mineral oil (see also European Food Safety Agency report) and it is clear from the research that refined cosmetic mineral oil is non-toxic. The rumor that mineral oils can cause cancer is also not true. Indeed, it has been proven that the polyaromatic hydrocarbons that may be present in the starting material are carcinogenic. But in purified oil, which is used for cosmetic and pharmacological purposes, these substances are not present!

If you're still in doubt, it's helpful to know that if you apply mineral oil to your skin, it actually stays on your skin and therefore there are almost no substances that can enter your bloodstream. Since the mineral oil stays on the surface of the skin and forms a layer of insulation there, it makes it harder for moisture to evaporate and dry skin will heal faster. Studies have shown that mineral oil is very good at this. And for people who are afraid of the compaction effect; mineral oil does not give you dark spots. Sebum can come out of the skin and won't block pores! In fact, some studies have shown that even 100% mineral coverage of the skin does not cause dark spots.

The sealing effect also does not interfere with the absorption of oxygen through the skin. The skin (contrary to what is often claimed) does not literally breathe, oxygen reaches the skin through the blood, not through the air! Dermatologists are happy to prescribe mineral oils to patients as they can prevent skin irritation caused by external irritants and help restore the skin's protective barrier. An additional advantage is that the likelihood of an allergy in this case is minimal. This is why mineral oils are often used in the treatment of eczema.

Disadvantages of mineral oil

Despite the above advantages, mineral oils also have a number of disadvantages. Mineral oils are actually not as "cosmetic-elegant" as vegetable oils. The higher the consistency of the oil in the product, the less pleasant you get when applied to the skin. Liquid mineral oils are more fluid, moisturize the skin less well, but are much more comfortable to use.

Another disadvantage of mineral oil is the effect of "over-hydration" of the skin. It sounds strange, but mineral oils can retain moisture so effectively that the skin becomes too wet. Your skin will look good at first glance (because the lines are stretched), but in the long run, various cellular processes will work somewhat less efficiently.

Ultimately, this will lead to the fact that the skin will simply not be able to protect itself, and you will find yourself in vicious circle, your skin dries out quickly if you do not apply any cream and do not continue to use it.

Luckily, this can be avoided by taking a good look at your skin. If you have severely dry skin, then you can use some mineral oils, if the skin is normal, then products with a high concentration of mineral oils can be put aside. Products with a high content of mineral oils are not recommended for use if you sweat easily, such as when working in hot weather or while exercising. In some, if sweat is prevented, they may appear on the face (red prickly heat).