Good and Bad Alcohol in Skincare

When you see the word “alcohol” in your skincare product, what kind of image appears in your mind?

Most people would associate alcohol with the clear liquid that dries the skin and sometimes causes irritation. That is only part of the story, though, since “alcohols” are a large family of substances and some alcohols especially the fatty alcohols are very good for our skin.

The definition of alcohol: an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxyl group (-OH) is bound to a carbon atom and this carbon is saturated.

Alcohols That Are Bad for Our Skin

If you see the word “alcohol” alone in the ingredient list, it is the same alcohol contains in our beer, wine, and hard liquor. It is also called ethanol or ethyl alcohol. Many times, you see the word SD alcohol such as SD alcohol 40, SD alcohol 23-A. SD alcohol means specially denatured alcohol, and it means an additive called denaturant is added to the alcohol to make it undrinkable, serving to protect the public in cases of accidental ingestion and a deterrent to those wishing to drink it. This alcohol is bad for your skin since it is drying and irritating, even though it has antibacterial, antiseptic, and astringent properties.

Denatured alcohol is commonly used in skin care to ensure formula stability, emulsify ingredients, enhance skin absorption, or to preserve the product. This obviously means that in some cases, alcohol denat is crucial to the performance of the product.

Another liquid alcohol is isopropanol, or isopropyl alcohol, or IPA. Isopropanol is used similarly to ethanol, except it is more toxic than ethanol but less drying to skin.

A less commonly used alcohol in skincare products is methanol, or methyl alcohol. It is the lightest alcohol, quite toxic, and should be avoided.

Below is the “bad alcohol” list. Don’t buy a skincare product if one of these appears near the top of the ingredient list.

·        alcohol, ethanol, ethyl alcohol

·        isopropanol, isopropyl alcohol, IPA

·        methanol, methyl alcohol

·        benzyl alcohol (usually used as a preservative and acceptable if it appears towards the end of the ingredient list)

    Alcohols That Are Good for Our Skin                                            

A group of good alcohols is fatty alcohols, and they don’t look anything like the liquid alcohols above. Rather, most of them look like white pearls. They gave a slippery feel, and they protect and soften our skin. Most of these fatty alcohols are derived either from vegetable sources such as coconut oil or palm oil, or from petroleum.

Cetyl alcohol is usually extracted from coconut oil, although it was originally derived from whale oil, after it was discovered in 1817. Its name cetyl also comes from the Latin name for whale, cetus. Cetyl alcohol helps to form protective barrier on the skin so water cannot evaporate, thus locking in the moisture. Stearyl alcohol is another commonly found fatty alcohol in skincare products. It is derived from cocoa, shea butter, or from animal fat. Stearyl alcohol acts as a good emollient, and as an emulsifier — helping oils and water to form smooth mixtures.

Cetearyl Alcohol is a mixture of cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol, usually derived from coconut oil. It acts as an emollient, keeping moisture in the skin.

Lanolin alcohol is another commonly used fatty alcohol, and it is derived from the oil glands of sheep’s wool. It is a great emollient, and a good emulsifier. However, some people find lanolin alcohol slightly irritating.

Below is the “good alcohol” list.

·        myristyl alcohol: emollient

·        cetyl alcohol: emollient – stearyl alcohol: emollient, emulsifier

·        cetearyl alcohol: mixture of cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol: emollient, emulsifier

·        behenyl alcohol: emollient, emulsifier

·        lanolin alcohol: emollient, emulsifier. may cause allergic reaction in some people

About your Emulsifiers and Stabilisers

Beeswax (Emulsifier)

Beeswax is the major component of honeycomb. It is secreted in tiny flakes from the underside of the abdomens of worker bees, and moulded into honeycomb. Beeswax is obtained, after removal of the honey, by melting the honeycomb, straining the wax to remove impurities, and pressing the residue to extract any remaining wax. The purified wax is then poured into moulds to solidify. Colour and quality are preserved by melting the wax in water, avoiding direct heat. The wax may also be bleached. As an effective emulsifier, it is used for candles, for artificial fruit and flowers, and for modelling wax. It is also an ingredient in furniture and floor waxes, leather dressings, waxed paper, lithographic inks, cosmetics, and ointments.

Cetearyl Alcohol (Emulsifier)

Cetearyl Alcohol is a mixture of naturally derived fatty alcohols consisting predominantly of cetyl and stearyl alcohol. Normally derived from coconut oil, the ingredient offers very efficient viscosity building properties to creams, lotions, and other personal care products, including anhydrous formulations such as body polishes or oil blends.  This fabulous ingredient can be utilized to create both oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions. In addition to enhanced viscosity, Cetearyl Alcohol also imparts its own emollient properties in the formulation. 

Cetyl Alcohol (Stabiliser)

Cetyl Alcohol is a, 95% pure and natural, fatty alcohol fromcoconut oil. It is usefully employed in emulsions and anhydrous formulas to increase viscosity (thicken) as well as to act as a stabiliser in order to prevent the oils and waters from separating in the final product.

To see what kind of ingredients are in botanical skincare products, please go to this link: https://www.centellaskincare.co.uk/our-ingredients/

Centella Skincare - botanical skincare emporium https://www.centellaskincare.co.uk/