Mi
Mineral Oil
Mineral Oil · Paraffinum LiquidumBarrier
A refined oil that sits on skin and slows water loss. Works like petrolatum with a lighter feel.
What it does
It’s a refined oil that sits on the skin’s surface and slows water loss. Its pore-clogging reputation, good or bad, rests on animal tests rather than tests on faces. It works much like petrolatum but feels lighter.
The evidence, graded
expert consensusFungal acne is Malassezia folliculitis — an overgrowth of a yeast already living in normal skin flora, commonly mistaken for ordinary acne. In a culture dish the yeast grows only when fatty acids longer than C10 are added, because it cannot make its own. That is why Drop holds lipid-rich products back while you have this flagged. No source Drop has read tested an oil on skin, set an upper chain length, or showed squalane, MCT or mineral oil to be safe.Rubenstein 2014 · Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology ↗
expert consensusCosmetic-grade mineral oil is highly refined, does not penetrate human skin, and is not susceptible to the oxidation that makes some plant oils sensitizing. Its skin tolerance is well documented, and EU cosmetic use is bound to purity specifications on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.Chuberre 2019 · Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology ↗
emergingIn rabbit-ear tests, isopropyl myristate, isopropyl palmitate, cocoa butter and other esters clogged pores, while petrolatum and paraffin did not; a 1989 test graded “coconut butter” 4 of 5. The rabbit test is more sensitive than human skin, and whether high scorers clog human pores is uncertain. In a small human test, finished products with them did not necessarily clog pores. The 1989 test graded mineral oil 0 to 2, squalane and dimethicone 1, glycerin 0; hyaluronic acid is untested.Nguyen 2007 · Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Also known as
liquid paraffin, white oil
Pairs worth knowing
Read more
Browse all 1238 ingredients — grouped by what they do, each with whatever evidence we can cite.
This page is public so a shared ingredient card always has its sources behind it — and so you can check them without an account.
Want more like this?
Every evidence-based flag cites its source, Drop tells you when your routine is complete, and it helps you simplify — instead of selling you more. The app launches on iOS and Android in October 2026. Rate my routine works today at /rate — no sign-in.