Mineral oil, or paraffin oil, is a mixture of higher alkanes from a mineral source, such as petroleum. Petroleum mineral oil is manufactured from crude oils by vacuum distillation to... During the modern refining process, aromatics are reduced by solvent extraction, catalytic hydrotreating, or hydrocracking.
- Mechanism
- Curator reviewed · 1 reference
Mineral oil sits on the surface of the skin and in spaces between cells and provides a hydrophobic barrier. This barrier prevents trans-epidermal water loss to trap water in the skin. Overall this leads to greater hydration, flexibility, and softness of the stratum corneum.
- Primary indication
- Mineral oil is not considered an active pharmacological ingredient in pharmaceutical preparations and so has no official indication.Curator reviewed · 1 structured indication
- First approval
- Canada, 1997
- Also known as
- Food Grade Mineral Oil · Heavy Liquid Petrolatum · Heavy mineral oil · Liquid Paraffin · Liquid Petrolatum
- Code names
- 232-455-8 · E-905D · INS-905D · INS No.905D
- Brand names
Resolves to
What you can answer from here — as of March 03, 2026
Which other approved drugs treat the same conditions as Mineral oil, and which companies have late-stage candidates in those indications?
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