Ingredient glossary / Emollient
Mineral oil
On the label: Paraffinum Liquidum · Emollient
What it is
A refined liquid from petroleum; cosmetic grade is purified to pharmaceutical standards. Light, non-comedogenic in testing, and stable.
Emollients: Emollients fill the gaps between skin cells and leave the surface smooth and soft; oils, butters and esters.
Wikidata: Liquid mixture of higher alkanes from a mineral source, particularly a distillate of petroleum. Q583582 →
In the research
395 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- Clinical observations during adjunctive Cannabis treatment and subsequent oclacitinib dose reduction in dogs with atopic dermatitis · Frontiers in allergy, 2026
- Pickering Emulsions with Long-Term Stability from Ultrafine Amphiphilic Benzyl-Modified Silica Nanoparticles · Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids, 2026
- Absorption and toxicity of mineral oil after dermal and mucosal surface exposure: a review · Drug and chemical toxicology, 2026
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Products whose label lists it
3 on the siteMatched from the ingredient list the supplier printed; the position in the list (first or thirtieth) is on each product page.
Made in the USA
Made in the USA
Made in the USAOther emollients
Dew & Balm describes ingredients from the public record and makes no claim about what a product will do for you. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA. If a product causes a reaction, stop using it; a reaction that spreads or affects breathing is a call to a doctor or 911.