Reading labels is paramount to staying safe and healthy when buying skincare products.
Here, we list 5 reasons “petroleum” and its counterparts should be avoided.

Petroleum is a fossil fuel, it’s the crude oil that when separated and mixed with other components becomes everything from gasoline to ingredients in cosmetics.

Some common bi-products that you can find in househoolds goods include:
Mineral oil
Petrolatum
Liquid paraffin
Paraffin oil

1. Can’t be metabolised

Even the “purest” grade of petroleum and mineral oil can’t be processed by the body, in fact they actually contaminate it. One scary fact that came from a study published in the Journal of Women’s Health in 2011 is that:

“There is strong evidence that mineral oil hydrocarbons are the greatest contaminant of the human body, amounting to approximately 1 g per person.” They concluded this by studying fat specimens from 142 women who were having C-sections, as well as milk samples collected from post-delivery, both of which were contaminated with mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons. This led to the conclusion that an increase of these hydrocarbons occurs over time, most likely from the use of cosmetics.

2. Could be carcinogenic

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) says an outrageous 80 percent of all cosmetic and beauty products out there could be contaminated by at least one, if not more, of over 25 impurities linked several health concerns, including cancer. The most alarming of these contaminants is 1.4 dioxane that’s found in 22 percent of all petroleum-based cosmetics, which is not only a possible human carcinogen, but also a known animal carcinogen. This harmful contaminant is in hair dyes (82 percent), self-tanners (45 percent), face moisturisers (36 percent), and many more.

3. Suffocate skin

Petroleum products form a seal on your skin, you can think of it as a plastic wrap on your pores. Although it’s true your skin doesn’t technically “breathe” you absolutely don’t want to block things from naturally entering or escaping your cells. These “occlusive” agents shut out the absorbing abilities of your skin, essentially suffocating it. Not only that, but they could also create a trapped environment where yeast and fungus could grow and when applied to sunburn can lock in the heat, even leading to scarring.

4. Don’t nourish skin

Petroleum and mineral oil products create this seal on your skin which some might think it also “seals in” moisture however, this actually doesn’t allow moisture from the atmosphere to be naturally absorbed.

So we’ve established that petroleum and mineral oil are occlusive, meaning they form a barrier on your skin. Theoretically, this “locks in” moisture—but what if there’s not enough moisture in there to start with? Are you really making progress?

Furthermore, these agents don’t allow moisture to be absorbed from the atmosphere, like other emollients can, nor will they allow absorption of the other beneficial ingredients that are in your skincare products. And there’s just nothing in petroleum or mineral oil that’s going to nourish your skin from the inside out. Let’s face it: they’re cheap filler materials and that’s why they’re so ubiquitous in beauty products. Why settle for them when you could use something way better?
Instead of petroleum or mineral oil, I recommend coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, vitamin E, shea butter or cocoa butter. Just watch out for polyunsaturated oils, which oxidize in our bodies and are pro-aging. Non-petroleum jellies made with castor oil might not be the best choice either, as castor oil promotes inflammation by activating prostaglandin receptors.

5. Linked to estrogen dominance

Estrogen dominance is a common condition in which sufferers have a high ratio of estrogen, with little to no progesterone to balance its effects in the body. Chemicals that are present in our environment, called xenoestrogens, are one of the biggest culprits—and their action may be much more potent than the natural form.

Guess what? Petroleum-based products are classified as xenoestrogens, even the refined varieties. A series of 2011 studies in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry found that they can indeed produce estrogenic effects:

“The present study indicates that oils contain compounds with possible endocrine-disrupting potential, some of them acting via the hormone receptors.”
We already know that these products and their contaminants build up in the body, so it stands to reason that long-term exposure might exacerbate hormonal imbalances.
I don’t know about you, but I’m just not willing to take that risk.

It is not only in the fuel tank of your car! Petroleum is part of your everyday life whether you realize it or not. It is lurking in plastics, food containers AND possibly right in products you are rubbing onto your baby right now. Actually, according to Environmental Working Group, 40% of all baby lotions and oils contain petrolatum! Petrolatum is a non-renewable hydrocarbon made from crude oil.

Also termed “mineral oil” or “baby oil”, this petroleum based oil coats your baby’s skin with a contaminated sheath that does not allow your baby’s skin to “breathe”. It clogs the pores and slows down the skin’s ability to release toxins. This can bring about [tag] skin disorders [/tag], slow down skin function and normal cell development, and can cause your precious baby’s skin to prematurely age.

According to Australia’s National Occupational Health and Safety Commissions (NOHSC),

“Prolonged contact with mineral oil has the associated risk of developing skin conditions such as oil folliculitis, eczematous dermatitis, melanosis of the face and plantar warts.”

And an article in Positive Health Magazine, outlines the dangers of the mineral oils further. “Mineral oil (classed as a petrochemical pollutant and xenohormone) can have negative effects on hormones and the skin’s ability to breathe, attract moisture and detoxify. It can also slow down cell renewal and be the second (after the sun) most likely cause of premature ageing. In fact sunscreens produced from mineral oil may promote [tag] skin cancer [/tag] as well as colon and breast cancer.”

“Contaminants from petrolatum are being found in most breast cancer tissues which have been studied in recent times.”4 Studies have shown that poorly refined mineral oil can induce skin and scrotal cancers after prolonged, repeated, and heavy direct contact with the skin. Australia’s NSHOC reports: “A number of studies have linked cancers of the skin and scrotum to mineral oil exposure.” Once the oil is absorbed, it is broken down by the liver, thus distracting the liver from other detoxifying chores. The liver helps your baby fend off sickness and toxicity.” 5 Scary stuff now that we know that before the age of 2 our babies have accumulated 50% of their life-time cancer risk.

The crazy thing about it is that petroleum is a known carcinogen and causes adverse health effects, but is still FDA approved!

www.twinkle.com.sg