Which Alcohols Are Safe In Skincare?

The first thing that comes to mind when you think about alcohol is probably hand sanitizer, but that can’t possibly be the same ingredient used in your skincare products, right? Well, alcohol tends to get a bad rep in skincare. But while simple ingredient names like fragrances; for example are categorized as potentially hazardous according to EWG’s Skin Deep Database, elaborate sounding ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid are very safe ingredients that do wonders for the skin. It is difficult to judge an ingredient by its name alone, so before you judge a book by its cover, let’s dive deep into alcohol and truly see if it has a place in skincare.

Why alcohol?

Let’s begin by talking about the purpose of putting alcohol in skincare. The most common uses for alcohol as cosmetic ingredients are: as emulsifiers, as an enhancer of skin penetration, as stabilizers, and to preserve the product by inhibiting the growth of bacteria and mold. So… alcohol does serve a purpose in cosmetics and in some cases can be crucial to the performance of the product. But let’s get a little bit more specific.

Four Main Types of Alcohols

When you are looking at your ingredient lists, it’s important to remember that there are different kinds of alcohol. They are not made equal and they affect both the product and the skin in dramatically different ways. The four main types are Simple Denatured, Fatty, Aromatic, and Grain Denatured. Today we’re going to be talking about two of them; Simple Denatured Alcohols and Fatty Alcohols.

More on the 4 types of alcohols

1. Simple/Denatured Alcohol

These types of alcohol are the most known and widely used in cosmetics. These are cheaper ingredients that have been chemically altered or “denatured” by heat, mixing them with petroleum, and/or other substances. These alcohols (ex ethanol) are listed on the EWG website as “low hazardous,” meaning there is “no substantial body of evidence linking topical use of these products with serious concerns like organ toxicity or cancer.”

People who suffer from acne and oily skin often reach for products containing these ingredients because they can provide some immediate positive effects on the skin. You’ll see a decrease in oil production, and it will kill some of the surface bacteria that leads to acne. However, prolonged use can be very damaging to the skin; causing excessive dryness, skin irritation, make the skin produce more oil to compensate for oil gland disturbance, disrupt the skin’s moisture barrier, and leave the skin primed for UV damage from the sun. This direct dehydration of the skin can also lead to fine lines, and wrinkles as a more superficial result, and on a more problematic note; it can lead to apoptosis; the death of skin cells.

The primary function of these types of alcohol are:

• Preservative: to keep the product from developing mold, bacteria

• Solvent: to dissolve ingredients that cannot be dissolved in water ex fragrances, salicylic acid

• Thickener: to help ingredients spread easily on the skin and add a cooling effect to the skin as it evaporates

• Penetration enhancer: to help ingredients seep deeper into the skin

Common types of Denatured Alcohol:

•  SD Alcohol

• Ethanol/Ethyl

• Isopropyl Alcohol

• Denatured Alcohol/ Alcohol Denat.

• Methanol

2. Fatty Alcohols

But alcohols are not all bad. Fatty alcohols are naturally derived waxes that come from various nuts, coconut, and palm oil. As the description suggests, these are very moisturizing and nourishing to the skin when combined with plant-based oils because they are rich in healthy fats. With that being said, some of these fatty alcohols can be made in a laboratory from petroleum. If you have really sensitive skin, you may still want to avoid these fatty alcohols because they may cause irritation, redness, inflammation, and possible clogging of the pores in high doses.

The primary function of these types of alcohol are:

• Emulsifiers: to help melt and keep water-based and oil-based ingredients together

• Thickeners: to help give products a creamy, thick, rich texture

• Emollients: for hydration and to form an occlusive (protective) barrier over the skin

• Viscosity: to increase the foaming capacity of surfactants (ie, cleansers, and shampoos)

Common Types of Fatty Alcohols

• Behenyl

• Caprylyl/Caprylate

• Cetyl/ Hexadecan/ Palmity

• Cetearyl

• Decyl

• Isostearyl

• Lauryl

• Myristyl

• Oleyl/ Octadecenol

• Stearyl

Identifying Alcohols

You’ll most likely see these ingredients with the denominator -yl. Drying alcohols (SD) are commonly found at the bottom of the product list, in tiny quantities. Fatty alcohols can be found throughout the product and even in the first few ingredients and that is completely fine.

I see Denatured Alcohol in my Product, should I throw it away?

Generally speaking, it is recommended to seek out products without Denatured Alcohols listed as ingredients however it isn’t always so black and white. As previously mentioned, alcohol can be used as inexpensive preservatives and are often listed at the very bottom of the list. In most of these cases, these products are perfectly fine to be used. When these ingredients are used as preservatives, they are added to the product in very small quantities.

It may be helpful to understand how studies testing the use of alcohol in skincare are conducted. Most of the tests on alcohol in skincare are done in-vitro (a test in a dish on the skin rather than directly on the face). “It’s likely that whatever effects were found would be a more extreme version of what happens when we apply beauty products like sunscreens and moisturizers typically containing, at most, 5-10% ethanol,” Michelle, Chemistry PhD, Labmuffin. In general higher concentrations of alcohol were used in these studies than what is used in skincare products, and in addition, your skincare products have a lot of other moisturizing ingredients to decrease drying effects.

Best Practice Suggestions

The best thing to do is to try to avoid denatured alcohol in your products. Now I know that is easier said than done, but at the very least make sure that it is not in the first 5-9 ingredients (depending on how long the ingredient list is). These ingredients are the most potent in the formula and you’ll want to make sure the base of the product isn’t drying alcohol.

Acne suffers and those with oilier skin types may enjoy the feeling of an astringent because it does help with oil control. But rather than going straight for the most drying toner you can find, look for an alternative such as green tea, cucumber water, chamomile tea, and gentle forms of witch hazel.

If all else, if you do happen to come across a product with drying alcohol, it is generally safe to use so long as it’s a wash-off product. So face masks and cleansers are typically fine. You’ll want to avoid them, in high quantities, in any leave-on a product such as a serum, toner, or moisturizer, to limit your exposure to the alcohol.