from Wikepedia:
"Mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of higher alkanes from a mineral source, particularly a distillate of petroleum, as distinct from usually edible vegetable oils. The name mineral oil by itself is imprecise, having been used for many specific oils over the past few centuries. "
My understanding is that most sewing machine oils are "mineral" but some are "lighter" then others. And some machines have tighter clearances or whatever, so the different sewing machine makers recommended the specific type of sewing machine oil (mineral oil) they think is best for their products.