7: Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Petroleum Distillate
Cosmetic grade Petroleum Distillate consists predominantly of C10-C16 paraffinic, naphthenic, and isoparaffinic hydrocarbons. The Distillate is used in a variety of cosmetic products at concentrations up to 50%. Undiluted Petroleum Distillate had an acute oral LD50 in rats of >25 ml/kg. Subchronic animal tests on a formulation containing 41.75% Petroleum Distillate were uneventful. Moderate skin irritation and mild, transient eye irritation were observed in rabbits following a single exposure to undiluted Petroleum Distillate. Cosmetic formulations containing 29.2–55% Petroleum Distillate were generally nonirritating, nonsensitizing, and nonphotosensitizing to human skin. It is concluded that Petroleum Distillate, as characterized in the report, is safe as a cosmeticingredient at the current concentrations of use.