white oil - highly refined straight mineral oil, essentially colorless, odorless, and tasteless. White oils have a high degree of chemical stability. The highest purity white oils are free of unsaturated components (see unsaturated hydrocarbon) and meet the standards of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) for food, medicinal, and cosmetic applications. White oils not intended for medicinal use are known as technical white oils and have many industrial applications including textile, chemical, and plastics manufacture where their good color, non-staining properties, and chemical inertness are highly desirable.