Paraffin oil, also known as mineral oil, is a colorless and odorless mixture obtained from the fractionation of crude oil. The main component is C16-C20 n-alkanes. It can be divided into two types: light mineral oil and normal mineral oil, which has a lower specific gravity and viscosity.

Olefin is a strange type of wax extracted from petroleum, shale oil, or some of the other asphalt mineral oils, and is a white or yellowish translucent substance with a fairly obvious crystal structure. It is a mixture of hydrocarbons with a carbon atom number of about 18 to 30.

The two are not the same thing.

Paraffin oil can also be used to preserve some chemicals like sodium. It has a specific gravity of about 0.86