Mandy must know…I remember using Clean & Clear oil absorbing sheets a few years ago, I wanted to try them out again. However I read the ingredients and I noticed it had mineral oil. What is the purpose of the mineral oil & do I need to be worried about using these on my oily skin? (via Facebook)
The Left Brain responds:
Great question, Mandy! Why in the world would an oil absorbing sheet contain oil? To get the answer we have to take a look at the ingredients.
Clean & Clear ingredients
Polypropylene
This is the plastic material used to create the sheets.
DMDBS
Also known as 3, 4 Dimethylbenzyl Idene Sorbitol, this is a modifier added to the melted polypropylene to form a complex nanofabril structure that gives the sheets their characteristic flexibility and helps “wick” oil away from the skin.
Mineral oil
Modifier for the plastic that reduces the cycle time for shaping and processing the sheets. It’s also conceivable (although this is just a theory on our part), that the mineral oil in the plastic matrix may help with oil absorption due to the chemical principle of “like dissolves like” (that’s for all you hard core chemistry geeks in the audience.)
Zinc stearate
Opacifier that makes the sheets look creamy not clear.
Ultramarines
Pigments which give the sheets their characteristic baby blue color.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Clean & Clear Oil absorbing sheets are a great way to degrease your face. The mineral oil used in their production won’t make your oily skin any worse.
References:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6844381.html
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/la060490u
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
“Like dissolves like.” OK, I’m a geek. I remember learning that! LOL! Great question, and thank you for the answer…I didn’t know! (Maybe not classified as a Geek anymore, huh?!) x
Dont be affraid of oil, offen it can be helpfull.
Thank you for clarifying the science behind the use of mineral oil. I understand that there are good oils that should be used on ‘oily skin’, but the halt sign has always been mineral oil. In this case, because of the other ingredients used, the mineral oil is good.
http://www.typef.com/article/products-acne-prone-skin-1/
Great question, I had never really thought about it, but it makes sense.
http://bowtiedbeauty.blogspot.com/
@Moxie: You’ll always be a geek to us!
@CherieJolai
indeed there are good oils, and in fact, mineral oil is one if them, in any form used in cosmetics. Though mineral oil has long been the target of cosmetic company smear campaigns, it has been proven to be one of the gentlest moisturizing ingredients out there. It is non-comedogenic, meaning it DOES NOT clog pores, and can help soothe and even repair the skin. Luckily for us, it is cheap, plentiful and readily available. Perhaps that’s why so many cosmetic companies want us to think it’s an inferior ingredient