Light Liquid Paraffin

Liquid paraffin (medicinal)

For other uses of the term, see Liquid paraffin (disambiguation).

Medicinal liquid paraffin is a very highly refined mineral white oil used in cosmetics and for medical purposes. This is a UK definition (British Pharmacopoeia) and the term may have different uses in other countries. The cosmetic or medicinal liquid paraffin should not be confused with the paraffin (or kerosene) used as a fuel.

Usage

Liquid paraffin - as Liquid Paraffin Oral Emulsion BP - is considered to have a limited usefulness as an occasional laxative, but is unsuitable for regular use as it can seep from the anus and cause irritation; it can interfere with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins; it can be absorbed into the intestinal wall and may cause foreign-body granulamatous reactions; and if it enters the lungs it can cause lipoid pneumonia.

Liquid paraffin also forms an ingredient of the osmotic laxative "Magnesium & Liquid Paraffin", sold under the name Mil-Par.

See also

Notes

External links

• Safety data sheet for Liquid Paraffin (pdf)

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