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Epimax Ointment

Name: Ointment
Brand: Epimax

A prescription with 2 ingredients.

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Overview

What it is

Prescription with 2 ingredients

Cool Features

It is vegan, fungal acne (malassezia) safe, and reef safe

Free From

It doesn't contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, parabens, silicones or sulfates

Fun facts

Epimax is from United Kingdom. This product is used in 17 routines created by our community.

We independently verify ingredients and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Does this product need an update? Let us know.

What's inside

Ingredients List

Active Ingredients

Paraffinum Liquidum 40%

Emollient

0-2 / 0 Oil Icon

Inactive Ingredients

Paraffin 30%

Skin Conditioning

Active Ingredients: Paraffinum Liquidum 40%
Inactive Ingredients: Paraffin 30%

Concerns

Ingredients Explained

Paraffinum Liquidum

Emollient, Skin Protecting, Solvent

Paraffinum Liquidum is a highly-refined cosmetic-grade mineral oil. It is also known as liquid paraffin.

Despite its controversial reputation, the science is pretty clear: it's one of the most well-studied and effective moisturizing ingredients out there.

As an occlusive, it forms a protective layer on the skin that locks in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This makes it especially great for compromised skin barriers.

The "it clogs your pores" myth has been around for decades; a study found that industrial-grade mineral oil may be comedogenic but cosmetic-grade mineral oil is not (these two are very, very different).

A 2017 review concluded that cosmetic use of mineral oils and waxes does not present a risk to consumers due to absorption.

Mineral oil got a bad rap from the old rabbit ear studies. When tested on actual human skin, cosmetic-grade mineral oil showed no comedogenic activity. The rating of 0 is a correction of outdated science.

Mineral oil is an inert substance with no fatty acids so there's nothing to feed Malassezia. This ingredient is fungal acne safe.

Learn more about Paraffinum Liquidum

Paraffin

Skin Conditioning

Paraffin is a solid wax that pulls its weight as an emollient, occlusive, and consistency-booster.

It softens skin and lays down a protective film to slow water loss and gives products a stable body and structure.

The cosmetic grade stuff is highly refined with a solid safety record. The CIR Expert Panel has repeatedly reaffirmed this ingredient to be safe in current practices of use and concentration.

The worry about carcinogenic compounds only applies to industrial grades, not the purified version used in skincare.

Despite its reputation, the highly reformed form is non-comedogenic and doesn't penetrate deeply into skin.

The good news for fungal-acne prone folks: the Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids and lipids and paraffin doesn't contain any of these (so there's nothing for the yeast to metabolize). This ingredient is considered fungal acne safe.

Learn more about Paraffin