Is mineral oil (paraffinum liquidum) safe on skin (left on)?

Under the app's default Cautious lens, mineral oil (paraffinum liquidum) on skin (left on) rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. 2 sourced concerns count (suspected carcinogen, consensus tier; environmental, consensus tier). This is research with sources, not medical advice.

What do the Clean, Low, Watch and Swap levels mean?

They are cut from a continuous concern level the app computes from the sourced claims that the chosen evidence lens shows: each claim counts its concern class, tier weight, confidence and dose relevance, combined worst-first with a decay so one serious finding outweighs many small ones, then scaled by how much of the substance reaches you in this use. Clean is below 0.35, Low below 1.1, Watch below 2.0 and Swap above that, on a 0 to 3 scale.

Is Mineral Oil (paraffinum Liquidum) safe in food and drink?

Cosmetics2 uses researched5 sourced claims

Where it turns up: solvent, emollient, occlusive, purity. Detox My Life researched mineral oil (paraffinum liquidum) under 2 different uses, because the same substance means something different in each. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.

Level by use and lens

Use	Mainstream	Cautious (default)	Based	Concerns · favour · fringe
Eaten or drunk	Swap	Swap	Swap	3 · 0
On skin, left on	Swap	Swap	Swap	2 · 0

Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.

Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog has no entry tied to this ingredient yet. When you scan a product that contains it, the app suggests cleaner alternative types for that product; the swap categories list what the catalog covers today.

Eaten or drunk Swap

Under the default Cautious lens mineral oil (paraffinum liquidum) in food and drink rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Swap; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.

Sourced concerns (3)

ConsensusSuspected carcinogenconfidence 100%

Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH), particularly those with 3-7 aromatic rings, found as contaminants in food, are considered a health concern by EFSA due to their potential to act as genotoxic carcinogens (damage DNA and may cause cancer).

Why here: MOAH can enter the food supply as environmental contaminants or from lubricants used in food production machinery and are ingested with food.
What would have to be true: Dietary exposure to MOAH from contaminated food products, with highest exposure estimated for young people and infants via infant formula.

Sources the engine cites:

Mineral oil hydrocarbons - EFSA - Europa.eu (2023) · regulator or public body
1 web article (Food Packaging Forum), linked in the app.
1 community or commercial page, not counted here.

ConsensusMetabolicconfidence 100%

Ingestion of mineral oil can interfere with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and other medications.

Why here: Mineral oil acts as a lubricant laxative, coating the bowel and stool, which can hinder the absorption of fat-soluble substances in the digestive tract.
What would have to be true: Regular or long-term ingestion of mineral oil, or taking it concurrently with meals or other medications.

Sources the engine cites:

Mineral oil: safety and use as placebo in REDUCE-IT and other clinical studies — PubMed Central (2020) · regulator or public body
1 web article (Harvard Health), linked in the app.
1 community or commercial page, not counted here.

ConsensusIrritant · allergenconfidence 100%

Ingestion of mineral oil carries a risk of aspiration into the lungs, which can lead to severe lipid pneumonitis or pneumonia.

Why here: Mineral oil is a low-viscosity liquid hydrocarbon that can easily be aspirated, especially by individuals with impaired swallowing reflexes, leading to inflammation and damage in the lung tissue.
What would have to be true: Ingestion by individuals with swallowing difficulties, bedridden patients, or children under 6 years of age.

Sources the engine cites:

Mineral oil: safety and use as placebo in REDUCE-IT and other clinical studies — PubMed Central (2020) · regulator or public body
Hydrocarbon Poisoning - Injuries; Poisoning - Merck Manual Professional Edition — Merck Manuals Professional Edition (2025) · review
1 web article (Harvard Health), linked in the app.
1 community or commercial page, not counted here.

On skin, left on Swap

Under the default Cautious lens mineral oil (paraffinum liquidum) on skin (left on) rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Swap; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.

Sourced concerns (2)

ConsensusSuspected carcinogenconfidence 90%

Cosmetic-grade mineral oil (paraffinum liquidum) may contain trace amounts of mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH), which include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of which are potentially carcinogenic if not sufficiently refined.

Why here: As a petroleum-derived ingredient in leave-on dermal products, there is a potential for contaminants if the refining process is inadequate.
What would have to be true: Dermal application of leave-on cosmetic products containing mineral oil that does not meet strict purity standards for PAHs.
The other side: Highly refined cosmetic-grade mineral oils used in cosmetics, particularly in Europe, comply with stringent purity regulations to minimize PAH levels to trace amounts and are considered safe for dermal application. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies cosmetic-grade mineral oil as non-carcinogenic. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) concluded no health risk for consumers from the cutaneous application of pharmaceutical- and food-grade mineral oils.

Sources the engine cites:

Mineral oils and waxes in cosmetics: an overview mainly based on the current European regulations and the safety profile of these compounds - PubMed — nih.gov (2019) · regulator or public body
2 web articles (ada-cosmetics.com, woodscopenhagen.com), linked in the app.
2 community or commercial pages, not counted here.

ConsensusEnvironmentalconfidence 80%

Mineral oil (paraffinum liquidum) is non-biodegradable, posing a potential environmental concern as a contaminant for soil and water.

Why here: As an ingredient in leave-on cosmetic products, it eventually enters wastewater systems or the environment after use.
What would have to be true: Release into the environment after product use (e.g., washing off skin).
The other side: This concern relates to environmental impact rather than direct human dermal health effects during product use.

Sources the engine cites (no regulator, review or study among them):

1 web article (ada-cosmetics.com), linked in the app.

Not researched here

The engine has no dossier for mineral oil (paraffinum liquidum) when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.

This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.

Scan your own. The app reads any product label with your camera, works out how you are about to use it, and researches every ingredient for that use with live sources. Every scan adds to a Detox Score for your home, where 50 is a typical home in your region, and a plan of next swaps.

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