As a teen, I loved to use baby oil on my legs after shaving. But know better, do better, right? Besides that fragrance we love, which we know is toxic, baby oil is mostly mineral oil and should definitely be avoided. 

Is mineral oil really toxic? 5 non-toxic and natural swaps for healthier skin and safer products for baby, eczema, and sensitive skin

You know I love a good ditch and switch and this one is important! These products are recommended regularly, and for good reason. They provide an effective barrier and keep your skin’s natural oils and moisture from evaporating. It’s used in a lot of cosmetics because it’s melting point is similar to our body temperature, so it gets soft when applied to our bodies. Plus, it’s super inexpensive, so it’s used in a lot of products. So the products serve their purpose well, but per usual there are healthier, safer, and more nontoxic options. 

Another shady ingredient with many different names…

When you're looking at the label you will find petroleum jelly, paraffin oil, mineral oil or petrolatum. They are all the similar byproducts from refining oil into things like gas for your car. 

Ok, so oil is a product from the Earth, so aren’t things like mineral oil a natural product?

Yes! But as we know, natural does not always mean safe. Asbestos, mercury, lead and arsenic are also natural, but you wouldn’t want those in your baby oil and skin products, would you?

It’s all about the refining process

Often the way that things are refined or pulled from the earth leave contaminants behind in the final product. So while something might not necessarily be inherently bad, it would need to go through a very strict refining process for it to be safe. This is the case with petroleum. The refining process leaves behind polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or (PAHs). A study done in Long Island, New York found that women with high levels of PAHs had a 50% greater risk of breast cancer. Yikes! I think of all the products with mineral oil in it that the people I love use and I just cringe.

But if it's properly refined, there are no known health control concerns- This is why you will see mineral oil still being used in European products. The EU has very strict regulations on how mineral oil for cosmetics is processed. Unfortunately, the United States just doesn’t have these regulations. The regulations in Europe are just stricter in general. In fact, you can compare the exact same product sold in the US and EU and it will have different ingredients in it. Ugh. That is so frustrating!

If you are listening from around the world, that’s so amazing and I would love to hear from you! As I am in the US, I’ll share what products I love that don’t contain any mineral oil or petroleum.

• All Good Goop- great for really dry skin, hands and eczema

• Alba Botanicals Un Petroleum Jelly

• Little Otter Lip Balm-there are lots of petroleum free options, but this one is eco-friendly too!

• Crunchi Nightlight Facial Cream - True story. My friend applied this to a mole she had removed instead of the recommended Vasoline, and her dermatologist was amazed at how well her scar healed.

• New Crunchi Littles Super Serum!- This is a game changer for baby products! No more Johson and Johson baby oil full of toxins. I don’t have babies anymore, but I will definitely be using this for moisturizing my own skin when it’s released next week.

I would love to hear how your ditch and switch is going! Snap a photo for INstagram and tag me @themeganmikkelsen or join my Facebook group Toxin Free Talk and join the discussion.