Nowadays, alcohol, fragrance, and preservatives are the most avoided ingredients in skincare products. It’s because of their bad reputation, thus many people tell us to avoid them. However, not all causes harm. Alcohols can have benefits and side effects depending on its type. In this article, we will separate them into two groups, good and bad, and describe a little bit of both.
What are the types of Alcohol?
The type of alcohol can affect the product’s function on the skin. You have the “good” fatty alcohols. They can be found in the plants, are not too strong, and won’t cause dryness or acne. On the other hand, the monohydric are known as the “bad” alcohols, because it can penetrate deeply into the skin, causing dryness in most cases.
Are all alcohols can irritate the skin?
The answer is no; everytime we see “alcohol” in product packages, we get scared so we choose another one. We need to consider that you have “good” and “bad” alcohols for your skin, and concentration plays an important role.
High concentrations produce dry skin. If the concentration is below 10%, this will evaporate when in contact with the skin due to skin temperature; oily skin can benefit because this concentration will have a mattifying effect, but avoid using it on sensitive and dry skin.
Where can I find the fatty alcohols?
Cetearyl Alcohol is mostly used as a thickener and emollient. Butylene Glycol will boost the product speed for penetrating the skin carrier, and Glycerol has protectives and moisturizing properties hence increase skin recovery.
Stearyl alcohol, propylene glycol, cetyl alcohol, and lauryl alcohol belong to this group but not often used as the previous ones.
Where can I find the monohydric alcohol?
Widely used because it’s economical than the other types, however it’s toxic and volatile. Ethanol has been used as a preservative, but the harming risk is low; alcohol denat have mattifying properties and can cause irritation in dry or sensitive skin, and benzyl is also a preservative but can cause irritation. In this group, you can also find methanol and isopropyl.
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