# Does anyone know when and where the rumor about mineral oil started?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-when-and-where-the-rumor-about-mineral-oil-started/691419>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 23, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-when-and-where-the-rumor-about-mineral-oil-started/691419 "2014-06-23T04:45:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![noamsmom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/dfb087/32.png) [@noamsmom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noamsmom)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-when-and-where-the-rumor-about-mineral-oil-started/691419/1 "2014-06-23T04:45:30Z")

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I keep on reading about how cosmetics containing mineral oil and/or petroleum jelly should be avoided because they’re dangerous and made from crude oil, so ewwww. Or something like that.

Having looked into the matter I know it’s bollocks (not its being made from oil, as if that matters, but the supposed dangers of using it), but does anyone know when and where the rumor started? I suspect a competitor of Unilever’s, the maker of the Vaseline brand, but can’t find any evidence of this.

Thanks!