White oils are invaluable to our modern day society. Although they’re actually clear, not white, they are extremely pure, stable, colorless, odorless, non-toxic, and chemically inert highly refined mineral oils. As a result of these beneficial properties, they are used in a wide variety of industries. Let’s take a look at three industries that heavily rely on white mineral oils to do their jobs.
- Pharmaceutical/cosmetic: Unsurprisingly, oils are quite important in the health and beauty business. Because they offer excellent hydration and emollience (or softness), certain white oils are immensely compatible with skin; low irritancy and comedogenicity (which means they have been shown to cause breakouts) make these white mineral oils ideal for cosmetic solutions.
- Phytosanitary: The phytosanitary industry has to do with the protection of crops, plants, trees, and livestock from harmful insects and pests. White oils play a key role in creating the products — from pesticides to insecticides to fungicides — that are used to do just that. Many white oil manufacturers are held to the high standards of the Pharmacopoeias, an official publication that contains a list of medicinal drugs with their effects and directions for their use, to ensure that the household insecticides, tree-protecting sprays, cattle sprays, crop pesticides, and plant sprays don’t negatively impact the people that will inevitably consume them.
- Polystyrene: Polystyrene is a type of polymer with thermoplastic properties used for molding and extrusion. The demand of such a vast industry requires its white oil to offer reliable filling of complex molds, good mold-release properties to help control surface finish, easy transforming abilities, and consistent optical and mechanical isotropy in the finished products. Paraffinic oil is often used in the manufacture of polystyrene, explaining why the U.S. produced 29 million barrels of it in 2018.
White oils are held to extremely high standards to ensure compliance with the stringent food and pharmaceutical regulations. The supply line itself is vital: if white oil manufacturers aren’t sending quality mineral oil to their clients, then their clients can’t produce quality products. Finding the best white oil manufacturer for your needs is one of the best investments you can make for your company.