The Perks and Drawbacks of Mineral Oil In Beauty Products

"Those aforementioned moisture-locking benefits are part of why mineral oil's received a bad rap. 'Mineral oils can actually act as a sort of plastic wrap that doesn't let your skin breathe, nor does it feed your skin with the necessary nutrients needed to keep it healthy,' says Janell Schroeder, regulatory affairs, certification/document control, and research and essential oil specialist at I-N Beauty.

Alternatives such as safflower oil and shea butter can serve a similar function to mineral oil, says Schroeder. In general, oils help lock in moisture, and "wet oils" such as coconut oil are more occlusive compared to "dry oils" such as argan oil, which seep into skin more."