Alcohol-Free

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What is it?

For many years cosmetic manufacturers have marketed certain cosmetic products that do not contain ethyl alcohol (also known as ethanol, or grain alcohol) as “alcohol-free.” However, “alcohols” are a large and diverse family of chemicals, with different names and a variety of effects on the skin. This can lead to some confusion among consumers when they check the ingredient listings on cosmetic labels to determine alcohol content.

In cosmetic labeling, the term “alcohol,” used by itself, refers to ethyl alcohol. Cosmetic products, including those labeled “alcohol free,” may contain other alcohols, such as cetyl, stearyl, cetearyl, or lanolin alcohol. These are known as fatty alcohols, and their effects on the skin are quite different from those of ethyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol, which some consumers may think of as drying the skin, is rarely used in cosmetics.

Benefits for your skin?

There’s a class of ingredients known as fatty alcohols, which are not the least bit harmful for skin. Often confused with the bad alcohols, such as ethanol and alcohol denat, the fatty alcohols include, among others, cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. Typically, fatty alcohols are used as emollients and thickeners in skincare products. Fatty alcohols are not irritating and, in fact, can be beneficial for dry skin. As far as your skin is concerned, fatty alcohols are about as related to skin-damaging alcohol/ethanol as a martini is to a cup of olive oil.

How to use in your skincare routine?

When looking at the ingredients of your skincare products, you should look out for some of the bad alcohols, like benzyl alcohol and methanol, as they contain a lot of impurities. The impurities in the ‘bad’ alcohols can be toxic and cause a lot of problems for your skin. These alcohols can damage the skin barrier and strip away the skin’s natural oils. In short, they’re too strong for the skin and can cause more harm than good, including breakouts, skin irritation, and redness, along with causing more visible ageing.

Another alcohol to look out for and avoid is isopropyl alcohol, which is the main alcohol type you see in hand sanitisers, these can be irritating to the skin. A good rule of thumb is to try to avoid “simple alcohols” on your face, which are typically evaporative solvent alcohols like SD alcohol 40, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and denatured alcohol. These are, for the most part, drying and potentially damaging for many skin types, particularly anyone with dry or sensitive skin or who has rosacea.

There are generally non-irritating types of alcohol, too. These are known as fatty alcohols and include types such as cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, and cetearyl alcohol. As opposed to the simple alcohols, these can actually help improve skin texture and complexion while also protecting it and keeping it moisturized. Typically, these types of alcohols are safe and non-irritating for all skin types and are okay to use on your face.