White Oil Market Analysis & Forecast: 2025-2032

White Oil Market Size and Forecast – 2025 to 2032

The global white oil market is estimated to be valued at USD 1.83 Bn in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 2.57 Bn by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.0% from 2025 to 2032.

Key Takeaways

• By Grade, Pharmaceuticals grade acquired the prominent share of 65.0% in 2025 on account of the growing pharmaceutical industry.
• By Application, Personal care and cosmetics dominates the overall market with an estimated share of 36.9% in 2025 owing to the rising demand for skin care and hair care products.
• By Region, North America hold the largest market share of 38.1% in 2025 owing to its mature and diverse end-use industries.

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Market Overview

Factors such as increasing application in personal care products such as makeup remover, skin creams, and moisturizers is expected to drive the market growth. Further, rapid urbanization coupled with rising disposable income of consumers is also anticipated to augment the demand for white oil. New product launches catering to skin and hair care needs of the evolving demographic are projected to present lucrative opportunities for the players in the white oil industry. However, stringent regulations regarding mineral oil in personal care may hamper the white oil market growth during the analysis period.

Current Events and their Impact on the White Oil Market

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End-user Feedback and Unmet Needs in the White Oil Market

• Demand for Greater Product Customization: End users across pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and plastics seek white oil grades tailored to specific performance needs, such as viscosity, purity, and compatibility. Many manufacturers express the need for suppliers to offer more flexible formulations that align with specialized applications and evolving product development requirements.
• Need for Enhanced Supply Chain Transparency: Users often highlight concerns about traceability and consistency in white oil sourcing. They seek clearer documentation regarding origin, refining process, and compliance with regulatory standards. A transparent, traceable supply chain remains an unmet expectation, especially for companies exporting products to tightly regulated international markets.
• Concerns Over Regulatory Alignment: While many suppliers meet local standards, end users in export-driven industries request better alignment with global certifications such as USP, EP, and FDA standards. Gaps in documentation or variation in compliance levels create friction for users aiming to enter international markets with stringent regulatory expectations.

Segmental Insights

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White Oil Market Insights, By Grade - Pharmaceuticals Grade contribute the highest share of the market owing to its aging population and healthcare awareness

Pharmaceuticals Grade is expected to contribute 65.0% share of the global white oil market in 2025. Pharmaceutical-grade white oil is purified to meet stringent specifications and quality requirements for medicinal use. It must be free of contamination, odorless, tasteless, and chemically inert to safely blend with other pharmaceutical ingredients. The growth in the pharmaceuticals industry has significantly increased the demand for high-quality excipients and lubricants. As more medications are developed to treat chronic conditions, manufactures require pure and reliable carriers for active pharmaceutical ingredients. Compared to lower grades, pharmaceutical-grade white oil offers superior lubricity and flow properties to facilitate industrial production processes like tablet compression and capsule filling. Its purity allows for direct contact with drugs without risk of negatively impacting medicinal potency, stability, or safety.

White Oil Market Insights, By Application - Personal Care and Cosmetics contribute the highest share of the market owing to its increasing awareness of hygiene and grooming

Personal Care and Cosmetics is expected to contribute 36.9% of the market share in 2025. Within this segment, white oil plays a key role as an emollient ingredient in skin care, hair care, color cosmetics, and fragrance products. Its chemical structure allows it to soften and smooth skin and hair without clogging pores. The rising global affluence has increased consumer spending on personal appearance. Modern lifestyles and environmental stresses make hydrating, anti-aging skin care more desirable. This growing focus on skin health and aesthetics boosts demand for effective, multi-benefit cosmetic formulations. As an emollient, white oil delivers superior moisturization and helps suspend pigments and fragrances. Its non-comedogenic properties and lack of odor or color tone make it compatible across a wide range of personal care formats.  White oil's skin compatibility earned it a respected role in products marketed for sensitive or baby care. For instance, according to an article published by Navid Noor, Cosmetic-grade white oil plays a pivotal role in formulating cosmetic products, offering unique attributes and benefits within the beauty and skincare industry.

Regional Insights

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North America White Oil Market Trends

The growing demand from the pharmaceuticals, personal care, and food processing industries drives the North America white oil market. Consumers increasingly prefer safe, high-purity ingredients in cosmetics and healthcare products, encouraging the use of pharmaceutical-grade white oil. Regulatory bodies such as the FDA and USP promote adoption through strict compliance standards. Refiners continue to improve technologies, ensuring consistent product quality, while a robust domestic supply chain supports stable availability. Manufacturers and packaging companies further boost white oil demand through widespread industrial applications.

Asia Pacific White Oil Market Trends

Fast-growing economies like China and India are driving industrial activity and urban development across Asia Pacific. This rapid expansion increases the demand for white oil in plastics, textiles, and lubricants, fueled by growing manufacturing and infrastructure projects. Rising disposable incomes and heightened awareness of skincare and grooming further boost white oil usage in personal care products. Manufacturers across South Korea, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia increasingly use it as a base ingredient in lotions, creams, and baby oils to meet consumer demand. For instance, in January 2024, Chevron Lummus Global LLC (CLG) has commissioned the world's largest white oil hydroprocessing unit for Hongrun Petrochemical (Weifang) Co., Ltd. in Weifang, Shandong Province, China.

United States White Oil Market Trends

Growth in the U.S. pharmaceutical sector continues to drive steady demand for high-purity white oil, widely used in ointments, capsules, and topical treatments. Manufacturers choose white oil for its proven safety, stability, and compliance with strict FDA and USP standards. At the same time, the expanding skincare, cosmetics, and hygiene markets further increase white oil consumption. Producers incorporate it into lotions, creams, and baby products due to its emollient and non-comedogenic properties, meeting consumer preferences for gentle and skin-safe formulations.

India White Oil Market Trends

India’s expanding pharmaceutical industry continues to drive strong demand for high-purity white oil. Drug manufacturers increasingly use white oil in ointments, syrups, and capsules due to its safety and stability, supported by rising production, exports, and government initiatives to strengthen pharmaceutical infrastructure. Simultaneously, the growing processed food sector in India opens new avenues for food-grade white oil. Food manufacturers rely on it as a lubricant and release agent in machinery to meet safety standards, particularly in large-scale operations serving both domestic and export markets.

Market Concentration and Competitive Landscape

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White Oil Market News

• In March 2025, the Indian government announced several initiatives to boost domestic oil production, including the New Exploration Licensing Policy and key legislative reforms. Launched to attract investments and ensure a stable supply of raw materials, these measures are set to benefit industries like white oil manufacturing by reducing reliance on imports.
• In June 2025, Brenntag SE and Exxon Mobil Corporation entered into a distribution agreement for white oils, extending their reach beyond the DACH, CEE, and Baltic regions to also cover Iberia, the Netherlands, and Israel.
• In December 2024, APAR Industries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Aramco Base Oil Company, Luberef, to explore the development of a transformer oil and white oil facility at the LubeHub complex in Yanbu.

Market Report Scope

White Oil Market Trend

• Growing Demand in Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care

The white oil market is witnessing increased demand from the pharmaceutical and personal care industries due to its use in ointments, creams, lotions, and capsules. Manufacturers prefer white oil for its purity, chemical stability, and non-toxic properties. As health consciousness rises and consumers seek dermatologically safe products, pharmaceutical-grade white oil is becoming essential. Moreover, regulatory requirements for safe excipients and carriers in drugs and cosmetics continue to reinforce the importance of highly refined white oil in these sectors.

• Expansion of Food Processing and Packaging Industries

White oil finds extensive application in the food industry as a lubricant and release agent for processing and packaging machinery. Its use ensures hygiene, non-reactivity, and food-grade safety in high-speed manufacturing environments. With rising demand for packaged and processed foods, especially in developing economies, the food sector continues to adopt white oil. Regulatory emphasis on cleanliness and food contact safety further supports this trend, encouraging manufacturers to source food-grade white oil that complies with international standards.

White Oil Market Opportunity

• Expanding Pharmaceutical Applications

The pharmaceutical industry presents significant opportunities for white oil, especially with increasing demand for safe, inert excipients in drug formulations. White oil’s use in ointments, capsules, and topical treatments makes it essential for pharma manufacturers focused on product safety and regulatory compliance. Growth in generic drug production and emerging markets offers further expansion potential. Innovating specialty grades tailored to specific drug delivery systems can open new application areas and strengthen supplier relationships within this high-value sector.

Analyst Opinion (Expert Opinion)

• The white oil market is at a critical inflection point where purity, regulatory compliance, and application diversification define competitive advantage. The increasing stringency of pharmaceutical and cosmetic standards globally—exemplified by the FDA’s recent tightening of excipient guidelines—means suppliers who invest in advanced hydro-refining and rigorous quality control will dominate. For instance, Calumet Specialty Products’ significant capital infusion into ultra-pure white oil production facilities underscores how technology leadership translates directly into market share.
• Moreover, the rising demand in Asia-Pacific, particularly India’s pharmaceutical export boom valued at over $24 billion in 2023, is compelling global suppliers to rethink their distribution and production strategies. However, commoditization risks loom large as emerging local producers offer lower-cost alternatives with questionable compliance, forcing multinational companies to emphasize traceability and certification.
• Additionally, the sustainability narrative is reshaping procurement priorities. While bio-based white oil alternatives remain niche due to cost and performance gaps, brands like L’Oréal and Unilever increasingly demand transparency in raw material sourcing, pushing white oil manufacturers to explore greener processing methods. Failure to adapt to these shifts risks obsolescence, especially in personal care applications where consumer scrutiny is highest.

Market Segmentation

• Grade Insights (Revenue, USD Bn & KT, 2020 - 2032)
• Technical/Industrial Grade
• Pharmaceuticals Grade
•  Application Insights (Revenue, USD Bn & KT, 2020 - 2032)
• Plastics and Elastomers
• Adhesives
• Personal Care & Cosmetics
• Agriculture
• Textile
• Food and Beverage
• Pharmaceutical
• Metalworking Applications
• Other Applications
• Regional Insights (Revenue, USD Bn & KT, 2020 - 2032)
• North America
• U.S.
• Canada
• Latin America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Mexico
• Rest of Latin America
• Europe
• Germany
• U.K.
• Spain
• France
• Italy
• Russia
• Rest of Europe
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• ASEAN
• Rest of Asia Pacific
• Middle East & Africa
• GCC Countries
• Israel
• Rest of Middle East & Africa
• Key Players Insights
• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL)
• Calumet Specialty Products Partners
• China Petrochemical & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec)
• Columbia Petro Chem Pvt Ltd.
• Exxon Mobil Corporation
• H&R GROUP
• HF Sinclair Corporation
• Nynas AB
• Oxiteno (Indorama Ventures)
• Renkert Oil
• Shell PLC
• Sasol
• Savita Oil Technologies Limited
• VELVEX
• Gandhar Oil Refinery (India) Limited
• Raj Petro Specialities Pvt. Ltd.

Sources

Primary Research Interviews

• Product managers from pharmaceutical and cosmetic manufacturing companies
• Procurement heads of food processing and polymer companies
• Senior refinery engineers and technical directors at specialty oil producers
• Regulatory compliance officers in pharma and personal care sectors

Databases

• World Bank Data (Energy & Petrochemicals)
• UN Comtrade Database (Trade statistics for petroleum and mineral oil derivatives)
• Indian Ministry of Commerce Export-Import Data (for refined oils and lubricants)
• U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) – Specialty oil production & usage

Magazines

• Chemical Week
• Hydrocarbon Processing
• Global Cosmetics Industry Magazine
• Food Manufacturing Journal

Journals’

• International Journal of Cosmetic Science
• Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
• Journal of Food Engineering

Newspapers

• The Economic Times (India) – Industry and export updates
• The Wall Street Journal – Specialty chemicals and packaging trends
• Business Standard – Petrochemical industry developments
• Nikkei Asia – APAC market trends in cosmetics and food

Associations

• Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA)
• Personal Care Products Council (PCPC)
• American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS)
• All India Food Processors' Association (AIFPA)

Public Domain Sources

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – Inactive Ingredient Database
• European Medicines Agency (EMA) – Excipients and compliance reports
• BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) specifications for white/mineral oils
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) white oil and lubricant safety documents

Proprietary Elements

• CMI Data Analytics Tool
• Proprietary CMI Existing Repository of information for last 8 years