Petroleum Distillates

Petroleum distillates are refined hydrocarbon compounds derived from crude oil. In skincare formulations, they function primarily as solvents—helping to dissolve or suspend other ingredients—and as antifoaming agents that prevent unwanted bubbles during manufacturing and storage.These ingredients are used in small concentrations within products to optimise texture and stability rather than to deliver direct skincare benefits to the skin itself.

Petroleum distillates work as solvents by dissolving lipophilic (oil-soluble) compounds that would not otherwise mix into water-based or mixed formulations. This allows formulators to include a wider range of actives in a single product. As antifoaming agents, they reduce surface tension to collapse bubbles formed during mixing and processing, which would otherwise affect the appearance and stability of the final product.

Petroleum distillates are incorporated by formulators during product manufacture, not by consumers during application. If you are using a product containing this ingredient, follow the standard usage instructions for that product type (serum, oil, cream, etc.). These ingredients require no special application technique on your part.

Refined petroleum distillates used in modern cosmetics are considered safe for topical use when they meet cosmetic-grade purity standards. Historically refined grades with higher PAH content have raised safety concerns in animal models; however, cosmetic-grade versions are heavily processed to minimise these impurities.