Mineral Oil & Valmont Renewing Pack
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free skin care · Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:57 pm

I have long been told that mineral oil blocks the pores. Is this correct??

I have the Valmont Renewing Pack but am not sure whether to use it if I have a break out..?
Why is this so expensive... Mineral oil is cheap, and it seems to be a key ingredient in high end brands...?... Confused

TIA.

free skin care · Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:06 am

I need some info on this one too, way too much confusing info on mineral oil and I see them on most ingredient lists. Some expert opinion please!

Sat Jul 01, 2006 2:24 am

Here's a thread that should help you Wink

http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=9048

free skin care · Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:09 am

The whole idea of mineral oil being bad for the skin was de-bunked in a study done at (I think) the U of C. It is only used to retain moisture in the skin and was found to have no adverse effects. I remember reading this 2 or 3 years ago.

free skin care · Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:41 pm

Thats correct sportygirl. Theres a lot of misinformation swirling around the internet. Go to the reputable sites such as the Cosmetic Fragrance and Toiletry Associations. Also Paula Begoun debunks cosmetic myths as well.

free skin care · Sat Jul 01, 2006 8:04 pm

Lucinda wrote:

I have long been told that mineral oil blocks the pores. Is this correct??

I have the Valmont Renewing Pack but am not sure whether to use it if I have a break out..?
Why is this so expensive... Mineral oil is cheap, and it seems to be a key ingredient in high end brands...?... Confused

TIA.

I always have a bit tangling sensation if I apply a thick layer on my face, and I believe your skin tangled more if it is applied on the blemishes...maybe put a thin layer or avoid those area would be better.

Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:56 am

I don't think mineral oil is the devil as some "natural" companies like to claim, but I don't think it's the best ingredient either. It can be a God-send, though!
I am having an allergic reaction on my lips from using wheat germ oil (all natural) to help heal a scar on my lip (bad fall, 5 stitches, long story), and it made my lips break out horribly. They became sore, and had blisters all over. Well, I starterd to use my lip balm that I normally use, which is an all natural product, containing macademia oil, olive oil, beeswax and shea butter (and nothing else). I'vev been using this for 2 years (after I found out mineral oil was the devil) with no problems. My lips are highly sensitive, so I can't use anything with essential oils or fragrance on them. When using lipstick, I have to line my lips with this lipbalm. Anyway, the lip balm failed me, and my lips became even more sore, and I had dark skin all over, and it burned. So, on a whim, I bought a small Vaseline pot (pure mineral oil) and rubbed a thick layer on my lips. My lips immediately calmed down, and two days into this, they are looking much better and are healing. So, I guess it depends!

free skin care · Thu Apr 24, 2008 2:50 am

I have used some moisturizers which contain mineral oil (cream de la mer and sisley ecological compound), they all somehow made me break out. Cream de La mer was much better than sisley.

However, I　also used sisley's cleansing milk with white lily, and shu Uemura cleansing oil (once two weeks), they didn't cause any problem.

I guess mineral oil can really cause breakouts, but it does so only when it stays on top of your skin for quite long. But my suggestion is that if you have acne- prone skin, then better not touch it.

Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:34 am

Lyrics wrote:

I don't think mineral oil is the devil as some "natural" companies like to claim, but I don't think it's the best ingredient either. It can be a God-send, though!
I am having an allergic reaction on my lips from using wheat germ oil (all natural) to help heal a scar on my lip (bad fall, 5 stitches, long story), and it made my lips break out horribly. They became sore, and had blisters all over. Well, I starterd to use my lip balm that I normally use, which is an all natural product, containing macademia oil, olive oil, beeswax and shea butter (and nothing else). I'vev been using this for 2 years (after I found out mineral oil was the devil) with no problems. My lips are highly sensitive, so I can't use anything with essential oils or fragrance on them. When using lipstick, I have to line my lips with this lipbalm. Anyway, the lip balm failed me, and my lips became even more sore, and I had dark skin all over, and it burned. So, on a whim, I bought a small Vaseline pot (pure mineral oil) and rubbed a thick layer on my lips. My lips immediately calmed down, and two days into this, they are looking much better and are healing. So, I guess it depends!

Vaseline is petrolatum--another much derided ingredient. I try to avoid products with petrolatum and mineral oil, but for some problems--in particular, dry, cracked heels--Vaseline/Aquaphor seems to work the best. Too occlusive for the face though.

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:00 pm

ughghgh. Mineral oil won't harm your skin, and it will certainly help your skin produce oil if your skin is in need of more oil, because it is occlusive. it can help as a barrier against the elements.

BUT it makes a lot of people break out, and the QUALITY OF THE REFINEMENT OF THE INGREDIENT, WHICH COMES STRAIGHT FROM THE REFINERIES THAT PRODUCE CRUDE OIL AND GASOLINE IS NOT CONTROLLED BY THE FDA. So you basically never know if the mineral oil you are getting is cosmetic grade or food grade or what. It's the same with glycerin, most of which is imported from China, and huge batches of raw glycerin were recently tested and found to have poison in it. In fact people who ingested cough syrup and toothpaste died from this glycerin.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/02/us/02toothpaste.html

But the real reason not to use mineral oil, in my opinion at least, is political:
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=22445&highlight=mineral+oil

--avalange

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:10 pm

I posted the following quotes in the KH thread, and copy and paste them here for you to offer the 'good' side.. Also important to know, is that the mineral oil used in cosmetics is; pharmaceutical grade..

"Watch out for the discrediting of mineral oil in skin care products."

{One company demands a premium price on their products because they claim that their products are more natural because they do not use mineral oil. Part of their marketing is a dramatic demonstration equating using mineral oil to rubbing crude petroleum on one's face...preposterous! It is true that mineral oil is a derivative of crude petroleum, but it is highly processed to achieve pharmaceutical-grade mineral oil. There are well-documented skin care benefits of pharmaceutical-grade mineral oil and who is foolish enough to rub crude petroleum on their face anyway?}

{Mineral oil. Clear, odorless oil derived from petroleum that is widely used in cosmetics because it rarely causes allergic reactions and it cannot become a solid and clog pores. Despite mineral oil’s association with petroleum and the hype that it is bad for skin, keep in mind that petroleum is a natural ingredient derived from the earth and that once it becomes mineral oil USP (cosmetics- and pharmaceutical-grade mineral oil), it has no resemblance to the original petroleum. Cosmetics-grade mineral oil and petrolatum are considered the safest, most nonirritating moisturizing ingredients ever found (Sources: Cosmetics & Toiletries, January 2001, page 79; and Cosmetic Dermatology, September 2000, pages 44–46). Yes, they can keep air off the skin to some extent, but that’s what a good antioxidant is supposed to do; they don’t suffocate skin! Moreover, mineral oil and petrolatum are known to be efficacious in wound healing, and are also among the most effective moisturizing ingredients available (Source: Cosmetics & Toiletries, February 1998, pages 33–40).}

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 6:23 pm

kassy,

the problem with mineral oil is that in order to be processed, it is altered and processed by so many toxic chemicals. also this process is NOT regulated, despite the claim that there are "grades." I've made the decision to use unprocessed botanical oils that function in the same way as mineral oil on my skin--simply because--and I'll repeat it here:
I don't think the cosmetics industry went running up to the petrochemical industry to beg them for their leftovers. Rather, the petrochemical industry found a convenient way to use and market their refuse.

--avalange

Kassy_A wrote:

I posted the following quotes in the KH thread, and copy and paste them here for you to offer the 'good' side.. Also important to know, is that the mineral oil used in cosmetics is; pharmaceutical grade..

"Watch out for the discrediting of mineral oil in skin care products."

{One company demands a premium price on their products because they claim that their products are more natural because they do not use mineral oil. Part of their marketing is a dramatic demonstration equating using mineral oil to rubbing crude petroleum on one's face...preposterous! It is true that mineral oil is a derivative of crude petroleum, but it is highly processed to achieve pharmaceutical-grade mineral oil. There are well-documented skin care benefits of pharmaceutical-grade mineral oil and who is foolish enough to rub crude petroleum on their face anyway?}

{Mineral oil. Clear, odorless oil derived from petroleum that is widely used in cosmetics because it rarely causes allergic reactions and it cannot become a solid and clog pores. Despite mineral oil’s association with petroleum and the hype that it is bad for skin, keep in mind that petroleum is a natural ingredient derived from the earth and that once it becomes mineral oil USP (cosmetics- and pharmaceutical-grade mineral oil), it has no resemblance to the original petroleum. Cosmetics-grade mineral oil and petrolatum are considered the safest, most nonirritating moisturizing ingredients ever found (Sources: Cosmetics & Toiletries, January 2001, page 79; and Cosmetic Dermatology, September 2000, pages 44–46). Yes, they can keep air off the skin to some extent, but that’s what a good antioxidant is supposed to do; they don’t suffocate skin! Moreover, mineral oil and petrolatum are known to be efficacious in wound healing, and are also among the most effective moisturizing ingredients available (Source: Cosmetics & Toiletries, February 1998, pages 33–40).}

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 11:21 pm

Hi avalange

I was actually very surprised myself when I read what I quoted in the previous post, but I felt it was important to share. There are actually 3 different grades of mineral oil, and from what I read while researching it, the pharmaceutical grade seems to get good reviews with those in the know..

Personally I haven't used a product containing mineral oil, since my teenage years when I basked in the sun covered in baby oil. But my reason was that I thought it clogged pores, and was just a cheap filler....I had no idea about the other information you provided, which was interesting and scary.

To tell you the truth, I'm really of the mind that less is more when it comes to topical products. My own routine is really very simple and basic, involving a few actives that I formulate myself and use very sparingly. Sometimes I shudder when I read some of the products that are being used by folks everyday. I've been tempted several times to jump on the bandwagon for a few tempting products, but then when I research the ingredients, I change my mind, because I really don't want some of those chemicals being absorbed through my bloodstream transdermally.

This is just my personal feelings and opinion on the subject, but I really feel, that some of the things we do today, will come back to haunt us in times to come.

free skin care · Mon Apr 28, 2008 7:01 am

Hi Avalange,
What botanical oils are you using - what companies and types?

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