Go to the Beauty Brains Forum and leave your mineral oil comments there.

Prove to the world that you know the facts about mineral oil!

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And snake venom will kill you. The point is that there are plenty of natural materials that are not “good” for you.

Most of your comments are just a rehashing of things others have said. If you could include some proof to back up your opinions it would be nice.

Your car example…the parts exposed to oil do not rust. Not all the parts are exposed to oil all the time.

You’re trying to create a straw man logical fallacy. I never said mineral oil imparts moisture. It doesn’t. Go back and read through the comments. This has already been discussed.

What is your proof that plant based oils soak into your skin? The fact that they are organic is irrelevant. They don’t soak in any different than mineral oil.

Where is your proof that petroleum based products will lock microbes in your wounds? More unproven propaganda.

Finally, mineral oil doesn’t add vitamin A or C to your skin. And what exactly do vitamins, mineral or fats do when applied to your skin?

Either/Or Logical fallacy…
“And by default- if it NOT putting any kind of vitamins, minerals, or fats of any kind into the skin then logically we have to call it what it is: a filler.”

It’s an occlusive agent put in products to increase the level of moisture in your skin. This is proven by the fact that when skin moisture levels are measured with a device like a corneometer, they are higher when mineral oil based creams are used.

Olive, almond, avocado, and sunflower oils all contain nice concentrations of Vitamin E, which aids in skin repair. Coconut oil contains lauric acid which has antimicrobial “sudsy” properties. All of these contain either monounsaturated or saturated fats which ‘moisturize’ (there’s that keyword again!) the skin.

What exactly does mineral oil impart? What vitamins and minerals does it leave on the skin to make the skin so supposedly ‘better’? Does it have Vitamin A or C? Does it contain fats which plump up the skin in any way? If it’s not a filler, tell me why it’s there. Tell me what vitamins or minerals it is putting into the skin. And by default- if it NOT putting any kind of vitamins, minerals, or fats of any kind into the skin then logically we have to call it what it is: a filler.

In response to that pathetic snake venom example: snake venom is one of the keys to asthma treatment research. http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/187_11_031207/hob111201_fm.html This guy won the 1982 Nobel Prize for his research too. But who cares, right? Let’s kill all the snakes. They’re nothing but trouble.

But on to the real issue!

What’s so horrible about petroleum based products such as: petroleum jelly, mineral oil, baby oil, and paraffin?

Petroleum is based on crude oil. It is simply ultra refined crude oil. The very same crude oil that is refined to go into your vehicle and the very same crude oil which has seen so much violence in the Middle East. Politics aside, crude oil when refined and made into petroleum based products are marketed correctly when they are labeled as a “protective coating, barrier, or lubricant” but not when they are labeled as “moisturizing.” The term “moisturizing” implies that it is adding moisture. But that is not what it is doing at all.

Let’s just break this down into a more basic concept, shall we? Water + metal + air = rust. Right? I’m sure we can all agree on that much. Ok, so all the while that petroleum/mineral oil/and the like have been used in engines, movable joints, etc- logically, those parts would have rusted. Because if you’re saying that petroleum moisturizes then…. you’re saying that it imparts moisture.

The entire concept of mineral oil in skin care is based on that ONE LIE! It does NOT moisturize!

Petroleum is not water soluble. It does not import moisture into the skin in any way, shape or form. It’s the equivalent of wrapping your skin in plastic wrap. So when we look at the characteristics of petroleum, one has to wonder just why some people still swear that it is moisturizing to the skin. When one coats the human(or animal) skin with petroleum jelly, we are counting on the fact that this creature will still be eating and drinking while they expect their skin to heal, yes? While we eat and drink we are refurbishing our bodies with moisture and this makes it way to the collagen skin cells which plump up to push moisture out into the outer layers of skin. Simply put, WE are moisturizing our skin by doing what we naturally do! Not the petroleum jelly or mineral oil.

Plant based butters and oils when used in place of such petroleum based products do the opposite. They do in fact soak into the skin because they are organic like we are. Our skin cells recognize this similarity and readily accept it and allow it to bind with the collagen to help repair fissures and cracks which may be present. Combining beneficial herbs which have been shown to heal with such plant based butters and oils means that your skin will be accepting ‘outside help’ and not just relying on how you are fueling/hydrating your body(like with petroleum products).

Long story short: petroleum based products will lock in whatever microbes exist in the wound while plant based butters/oils and herbs have the ability to truly hydrate and heal. Petroleum products are never recommended for burns because it literally seals in the heat while organic based products like aloe vera, which is a humectant, is perfectly suited to draw out the heat. Plant based butters and oils can be used after the heat is dissipated to allow the skin to re-hydrate and heal faster.

Thanks so much for your response. It’s good to see that you at least looked through Pubmed. Unfortunately, you’ve clearly made up your mind and nothing that I, or anyone else, can say will change it.

This is not how a scientist would approach knowledge, but is more typical of an average consumer. Scientists remain skeptical and open minded about the possibility that everything they think is wrong. Since you think you know everything, you collect data that only supports what you already believe.

However, if you could imagine for a moment that you don’t know everything about the subject and there’s a possibility that your initial hunches are mistaken, consider the following.

1. While I can’t claim to know why all companies don’t switch (perhaps you have some knowledge of the inner-workings and motivation of all cosmetic companies)I do know why cosmetic chemists (of which I’m one) create products with mineral oil and not with other ingredients. The formulas with mineral oil work better than ones without.

2. Your dictionary definition of “occlusion” is a misunderstanding of how cosmetic scientists use the term. It’s not surprising since you aren’t involved directly in the industry and are subject to persuasion by “natural”/green cosmetic marketing propaganda. Incidentally, cosmetic grade mineral oil has been shown specifically not to cause acne.

3. No lotion or any cosmetic for that matter is “good” for you. People can live perfectly healthy lives WITHOUT any cosmetics. Soap may reduce bacterial infections but no other cosmetic is “good” for you. That’s just marketing bunk to convince you to buy products you don’t really need. Stop looking for what’s “good” for you. No cosmetic is. Incidentally, that doesn’t mean they are bad for you either.

4. While Aloe might make you feel better, this isn’t proof that it works or is even good for you. In this recent review of traditional cosmeceuticals the scientists concluded that the use of “Very few of these products (like Aloe) are supported by evidence-based science.” And this wasn’t a corporate shill publishing something in a trade journal. It was a scientist at Oregon Health Sciences University writing in a peer reviewed journal.

Anecdotal evidence like the story you provided is not proof that Aloe has any positive effect. In double-blinded studies, no positive effects were demonstrated. Ergo, until more proof is provided, putting aloe on your skin is not worthwhile.

5. I wasn’t insulting your intelligence by suggesting you look at trade journals for information. Not everyone is paid to write. There is some marketing, paid-for articles, but there are also good articles written by legitimate scientists. An open minded person would consider this possibility.

While you may believe you are trying to find accurate and un-biased FACTS, you’ve demonstrated that you’re not. If you want to really learn and really figure out the truth then do what a scientist would do.

Create a theory and find a way to prove that it is WRONG! If you can’t prove that it is WRONG then you may have learned something.

Creating a theory and then proving it is RIGHT is not science. That’s what lawyers do. And unfortunately, lawyers are more concerned with winning arguments than they are with finding the truth. They don’t let disagreeable facts get in the way of proving themselves right.

It seems that you’ve proven your “lawyerly” theory that mineral oil isn’t good for you and you don’t seem interested in what’s true.

But thanks again for your comments.