White oil, also known as liquid paraffin, is a colourless and odourless mixture of higher alkanes from a mineral source. This mineral source is usually a distillate of petroleum. White mineral oils are extensively used in the plastics and rubber industries to produce different types of plastics and rubber applications. It is used to control the melt flow rate of input products for polystyrene (PS), high-impact resistance polystyrene (HIPS), polyolefin, and thermoplastic elastomers.

It is used as an internal and external lubricant in polymer formulations of PS, PVC, PP, and TPE. Plasticisers, catalyst carriers, mould release agents, and pigment dispersion agents are other applications of white mineral oils in this industry. The adhesives and elastomers industries produce a very broad range of products.