Build my profileBuild my profile

Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Paraffin in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Paraffin is a cosmetic ingredient that keeps the skin in good condition. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 277 products, most often eye makeup.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 2 sourcesHow we check

What does Paraffin do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Paraffin keeps the skin in good condition, makes the product thicker or thinner and adds scent. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: skin conditioning, viscosity controlling and perfuming.

skin conditioningviscosity controllingperfuming

What is Paraffin?

Paraffin is a solid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum characterized by relatively large crystals.

CAS number
8002-74-2, 64742-51-4
EC number
232-315-6, 265-154-5
CosIng reference
91023

Which products contain Paraffin?

Open Beauty Facts finds Paraffin in the ingredient lists of 277 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often eye makeup, body creams and mascara.

  • Eye makeup22
  • Body creams22
  • Mascara19
  • Body care19

Products with it, by country of sale: France 54 · Norway 31 · Netherlands 27 · Germany 23.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Paraffin turns up, not how much of the market it is.

Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors

Sources

The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.

  1. European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
  2. Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL

Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check

Create a website profile with the things you avoid and the people you check for.

Build my profile

Save and edit your profile on this website. App transfer is not available yet.