United Kingdom · CAP Code · landing pages
Mineral-oil-free claims on UK landing pages — CAP literacy
“Mineral-oil-free”, “no mineral oil”, and clean-skincare badges appear above the fold on balm and body-care landing pages. Shoppers often treat those lines as proof the entire routine avoids petroleum-derived emollients — not a bounded reformulation on one bottle size. This guide helps UK marketers inventory mineral-oil-free claims against published CAP substantiation literacy. Not ASA clearance and not legal advice.
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Petrolatum wording shoppers actually see
UK landing pages often say mineral-oil-free while INCI lists paraffinum liquidum, petrolatum or microcrystalline wax on older SKUs still linked from Google Shopping.
Treat mineral-oil-free as its own CAP 3.7 row: capture hero text, accordion definitions, and any chart that contrasts petroleum emollients with plant oils.
Related absence guides: silicone-free, allergen-free, fragrance-free.
Hero and module patterns
| Shopper-facing line | Likely inference | Register note |
|---|---|---|
| No mineral oil | Zero petroleum emollients | Log whether paraffin synonyms are excluded in footnotes |
| Without petrolatum | Specific wax class absent | Separate row if microcrystalline still present in INCI |
| Plant-oil alternative shown in chart | Competitor still uses mineral oil | Comparative claims need their own substantiation column |
| Baby-safe mineral-oil-free | Paediatric suitability implied | Split absence claim from baby suitability language |
| Lip and body share one banner | Both categories covered | Capture ingestible lip SKU separately from body lotion URL |
CAP literacy for petroleum absence
Objective absence claims must match the substances named on screen. If marketing uses mineral oil while the lab tests paraffinum liquidum only, the register should record both phrases and the evidence scope your team relies on.
Charts that show droplet icons for mineral oil versus jojoba are still advertising — screenshot axis labels and source footnotes, not only the headline.
Method habits: claim substantiation, comparative vs competitor claims, puffery vs objective claims.
INCI, feeds and legacy listings
Amazon bullets frequently keep mineral-oil-free while the ingredient panel still lists petrolatum on a slow-moving ASIN — schedule scans per marketplace ID, not only the flagship D2C URL.
TikTok Shop titles sometimes drop the word mineral while keeping oil-free, which reads differently to shoppers — log shortened strings as distinct rows.
Green stacks: biodegradable plastic claims, recycled content percentage, eco certification badges.
Lip care, balms and occlusive claims
Occlusive marketing on lip pages may promise non-greasy feel while mineral-oil-free badges sit on body heroes — cross-link URLs when the brand uses one campaign ID across categories.
SPF lip products add UV filters that shoppers do not associate with mineral oil — still inventory mineral-oil-free if present beside SPF claims.
See health claims on PDPs and dermatologist recommended claims.
Worked capture — balm PDP
Module A headline: “Mineral-oil-free nourishing balm.” Module B INCI snippet: “Caprylic/capric triglyceride, shea butter — no paraffinum liquidum.” Marketplace title: “Oil-free balm 50ml.” Notes for the register:
- Three surfaces: Hero, INCI accordion, and shortened feed title — three rows minimum.
- Synonym check: Paraffinum named in accordion — evidence should cover that analyte.
- Feed risk: Oil-free alone may overstate absence — flag for legal review if used without mineral qualifier.
Misreadings teams make
- Assuming plant oil INCI clears a mineral-oil-free hero automatically. Capture both.
- Treating CPSR petrolatum assessments as ad substantiation. Regulatory files stay offline.
- Using one lab report across lip and body formats. Tie tests to pack size.
- Letting review stars stand in for ingredient proof. Use star rating claims guide separately.
Capture checklist before paid media
| Step | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Screenshot hero + footnotes | Verbatim mineral-oil strings stored |
| Export INCI for same URL | Synonym cross-check logged |
| Pull retailer feed title | Shortened claims identified |
| Log comparative charts if live | Competitor rows flagged |
| Run free scan post-deploy | Drift caught after CMS publish |
Agency handoffs and promo modules
When performance teams rotate mineral-oil-free against petroleum-free in Meta DCO, attach register IDs in the handoff sheet so retailers do not publish the losing variant without review.
Black Friday modules that stack was/now pricing with mineral-oil-free heroes need both claim types inventoried — pricing literacy is separate from ingredient absence.
Promo literacy: clearance sale claims, free gift with purchase, cashback and rebate claims.
CiteBefore scope reminder
CiteBefore records what shoppers can read on URLs you submit at scan time. It does not run GC-FID tests, sign CPSRs, or provide ASA clearance.
Reformulation and cache lag
After removing petrolatum from a balm, CDN caches and retailer APIs may serve old ingredient panels for 24–72 hours — rescan every endpoint before scaling spend.
Influencer PR packages photographed before reformulation often circulate after launch — archive packaging shots with batch codes when seeding creators.
URL discipline: before-and-after URL capture, claim register template.
Questions
Must mineral-oil-free apply to every SKU on the landing page?
Shoppers often read a hero badge as covering all variants. Log whether the claim applies to one formula, a reformulated batch, or the full range.
Is mineral-oil-free the same as non-comedogenic on a PDP?
No. Mineral-oil-free describes absence of a petroleum-derived ingredient class; non-comedogenic describes pore-clogging testing. Inventory separate register rows.
Does CiteBefore verify INCI against mineral-oil-free heroes?
No. CiteBefore captures visible claim text on URLs you submit. INCI alignment checks remain your formulation team's task.
Can a footnote limit mineral-oil-free to body products only?
Footnotes can qualify claims when material information is clear and prominent. Capture location relative to the hero module.
Should retailer feed titles inherit mineral-oil-free PDP copy?
Feed titles are part of the ad — log Amazon, TikTok Shop and owned-site strings separately on the same SKU.
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