There is Alcohol; and there is Alcohol

Once in a while, people tell me they always look for alcohol-free cosmetic products because they already suffer from dry hair or skin. They want nourishing and moisturizing ingredients only.



At that point, I gently explain that there is alcohol and there is alcohol. The alcohol used in beverages is ethanol – a short carbon chain alcohol. The alcohol you find in some toners is denatured ethanol and is, in fact, drying to the skin.



The alcohols which you find in shampoos and skin creams are generally long carbon chain alcohols (from 8 to 20 carbon atoms) and are non-drying. These non-drying alcohols are known as fatty alcohols or fatty acid alcohols.



Fatty alcohols are added to shampoos and skin creams to give a thicker consistency and make the products easier to apply and distribute. They are used as lubricants, water emulsifiers, skin softeners, non-ionic surfactants and stabilizing emulsifiers.



These fatty alcohols possess no drying or irritating properties and include cetyl, octyl, stearyl, lauryl, oleyl, linoleyl and cetearyl alcohol. Next time you notice one of these in a cosmetic ingredient list, don’t automatically shove the product back on the shelf because your "hair/skin is already too dry."



Do an "Edit/Find" search for "alcohol" on this page of some highly-recommended polypeptide anti-aging creams, and you’ll see how ubiquitous these long chain fatty acids are in cosmetic products.



Tags: alcohol, cosmetic use of alcohol, non-drying alcohol