I have to wonder, how much of these insidious toxic ingredients in nearly everything industry has produced for the public is deliberate and how much is an inadvertent side effect of opportunistic profiteering and lacke of understanding...
from Jeannie
Mineral oil
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For crude oil found in geological deposits, see Petroleum.
Bottle of mineral oil as sold in the U.S.
A mineral oil or liquid petroleum is a liquid by-product of the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline and other petroleum based products from crude oil. A mineral oil in this sense is a transparent, colorless oil composed mainly of alkanes (typically 15 to 40 carbons) and cyclic paraffins, related to petroleum jelly (also known as "white petrolatum"). It has a density of around 0.8 g/cm3.[1] Mineral oil is a substance of relatively low value, and it is produced in very large quantities. Mineral oil is available in light and heavy grades, and can often be found in drug stores.
There are three basic classes of refined mineral oils:
- paraffinic oils, based on n-alkanes
- naphthenic oils, based on cycloalkanes
- aromatic oils, based on aromatic hydrocarbons (not to be confused with essential oils)
and from the toxicology link:
Potential risks
The application of four popular moisturizers increased the incidence of skin cancer in mice who were irradiated twice a week for 20 weeks.[5] A fifth moisturizer, specially prepared without mineral oil and sodium laurel sulphate, had no such effect.[6] This study may not directly translate to humans as mice have a thin skin and live in the dark, unlike humans whose bodies are accustomed to sun exposure.
Veterinary uses
Certain mineral oils are used in livestock vaccines, as an adjuvant to stimulate a cell-mediated immune response to the vaccinating agent. In the poultry industry, plain mineral oil can also be swabbed onto the feet of chickens infected with scaly mites on the shank, toes, and webs. Mineral oil suffocates these tiny parasites. In beekeeping, food grade mineral oil saturated paper napkins placed in hives are used as a treatment for tracheal and other mites. It is also used along with a cotton swab to remove un-shed skin on reptiles such as lizards and snakes.
Cosmetics
Mineral oil is a common ingredient in baby lotions, cold creams, ointments and cosmetics. It is a lightweight inexpensive oil that is odorless and tasteless. It can be used on eyelashes to prevent brittleness and breaking and, in cold cream, is also used to remove creme make-up and temporary tattoos. One of the common concerns regarding the use of mineral oil is its presence on several lists of comedogenic substances. These lists of comedogenic substances were developed many years ago and are frequently quoted in the dermatological literature.
A study reported in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2005) found that the type of highly refined and purified mineral oil found in cosmetic and skincare products is noncomedogenic (does not cause acne).[7]
from
I use Burts Bees products based on bees wax to avoid petroleum based oils. Their lotion has been on sale lately:
http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/body-moisturizers/thoroughly-therapeutic-honey-orange-wax-body-lotion.html
Wendy
I think we've largely accepted a level of toxicity in many widely used products because the convenience and perceived benefit seems to outweigh the longterm accumulation of toxins which might lead to health issues. People tend to take product safety for granted.
Mineral oil is usually the first or second ingredient in lotions and creams. (Incidentally, Europe has stricter safety standards. Paraffin is the primary ingredient in my hand lotion, which contains no mineral oil.) Even as a kid, it struck me as odd that my mom used petroleum jelly on me, but since I was brought up believing it was safe, I bought it myself as an adult.
When I discovered that oxybenzone, a prime ingredient in sunscreens, actually causes skin cancer, http://www.natural-health-information-centre.com/paba-oxybenzone.html I took that as a sign that some carcinogenic ingredients are deliberately placed in products to make us ill. (Fluoride in toothpaste is another example.)
I have thrown away all my sunscreens and anything else that contains oxybenzone. I also found it in many of my American moisturizers and lotions and my Chapstick (nod to Burt's Bees
). Just this very evening, I dicovered oxybenzone in my favorite Avon hand cream, which I hadn't considered checking since hands are not usually targeted for sun protection. (BTW, Avon is one of the worst offenders.)
This website is a great resource for checking which health and beauty products are safe or not: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
You can't rely on products approved by the Food As Drug Adminstration to be safe. The FDA, like so many other institutions, have been infiltrated by corporate bigwigs. http://current.com/news/92009377_obama-appoints-monsanto-man-as-fda-food-safety-czar.htm
I've copied & sent it out to my list.
Bless you more,
John
My rule has become if I couldn't eat it I don't put it on my skin. Virgin coconut,olive oil and many other natural oils work very well for moisturizing when applied when skin is still shower wet and you get used to allowing some 'soak in' time before dressing. Carrot seed oil mixed with a light carrier oil makes a nice anti aging night treatment for eyes and face if you have dry-ish skin. Equal parts of Glycerin and honey+ 1 TBS of Dr. Bronner's Magic soap (I prefer 'baby mild') makes a very gentle face wash-for body, double or triple the Magic soap for more lather.
Pumpkin makes a great face mask as do eggwhites and honey. Mayonnaise (the real stuff with eggs and oil) and a few drops of essential oil is the best hair conditioner you'll ever find. Slather up your hair, put a plastic bag over it and get in a hot bath or sauna. 20 Minutes later, wash and rinse and you'll have shiny moisturized hair. I could go on and on!
My health and beauty budget is now pennies on a dollar compared to what it was 10 years ago and my skin is healthier. Oh but by all means, get a shower or whole house water filter and ditch the chlorine and fluoride asap!