Is it ok to use skincare with ‘alcohol’ in it?

Short answer: yes – but read for the full explanation before you think I am crazy! 😂

The word ‘alcohol’ usually refers to the primary alcohol ethanol (‘ethyl alcohol’) which is what is found in alcoholic drinks. When it is denatured it becomes known as ‘alcohol denat’ on skincare labels and that means the ethyl alcohol has been denatured. In skincare it is sometimes referred to as ‘isopropyl alcohol.’ All of these alcohols are derived from carbohydrate molecules and made in a lab.

On the other hand, fatty alcohols like cetyl, stearyl and cetearyl alcohol are derived from fats and oils and usually impart an emollient or humectant property to skincare.

Aromatic alcohols, like benzyl alcohol, are used as part of fragrances and can also be an antimicrobial preservative in skincare.

There are over 20 studies carried out over the past 40 years confirming that ethanol is a topical penetration enhancer and can be successfully used in transdermal drug delivery systems. The most likely reason ethanol can enhance permeability through the skin is because when it enters the SC it can remove measurable quantities of the intercellular lipid layer thus impairing the skin’s barrier function, making it vulnerable to further irritation.

So, yes, alcohol can help delivery of drugs to the skin but it is also potentially harmful to the stability of the barrier function.

When it comes to including alcohol in skincare (as a solvent or an emulsifier or even as a preservative), is it a problem? Not necessarily – it depends on the product. There are rules about this. For example, benzyl alcohol can be used as a preservative but should not constitute more than 1% of the final product.

Product formulation is complex and requires the balancing of many different things to achieve the desired product. It is possible to include alcohol in a formulation without it causing a problem. But if you are concerned about it, there are plenty of products available without alcohol in them at all.