Alcohol is often found in toners, moisturisers, serums and face masks; it's purpose often is to act as an thickener or preservative. Alcohol can also change the texture of skin care products, the way they feel on the skin, and come with the added benefit of anti-bacterial properties. That being said, there are certain alcohols that might not agree with your skin.
So, why should you avoid alcohol in skin care products?
Firstly, not all alcohols should be avoided. Fatty alcohols are a perfectly safe form of alcohol often derived from natural ingredients. Examples of fatty alcohols include cetyl alcohol derived from coconut oil, stearyl alcohol, and cetearyl alcohol. These alcohols improve texture of skin care products, as well as act as emulsifiers; no need to be worried if you find these on the ingredient list.
In addition to improving texture of products, these alcohols come with the benefit of being packed with fatty acids which can be beneficial for the skin. Such alcohols can have a moisturising effect on the skin, as well as enhance the skin's natural lipid barrier.
Simple alcohols have a dehydrating effect on the skin
Examples of such alcohols include alcohol denat, isopropyl alcohol and ethanol. This type of alcohol is commonly found in toners to help the product dry quickly as well as improve ingredient absorption but this can cause skin dryness and irritation. When your skin becomes dry, your sebaceous glands can overproduce oils to counter this dryness which can cause clogged pores and an oily complexion.
Simple alcohols can cause skin irritation and damage the natural lipid barrier
Simple alcohols are also used as a facial 'degreaser', they break down oils in your skin to remove shine and reduce sebum which can be responsible for breakouts and an oily complexion. In the short term this might be beneficial, but repeated use of these products can compromise the skin's natural lipid barrier leading to dryness and inflammation. Continuous use can therefore make your skin more susceptible to environmental aggressors such as UV and pollution.
Simple alcohols can lead to fine lines and wrinkles
Fine lines and wrinkles appear due to reduced collagen in the skin, as well as decreased overall skin hydration. Prolonged use of simple alcohols can cause the skin to be dehydrated which can lead to fine lines and wrinkles forming.
How to read the label: a quick cheat sheet
The good news is that telling the two apart takes about ten seconds once you know what to look for:
Fine (fatty alcohols):
- Cetyl alcohol
- Stearyl alcohol
- Cetearyl alcohol
- Behenyl alcohol
These are waxy, moisturising and barrier-friendly. They're closely related to fatty acids like stearic acid, and their presence anywhere on a label is nothing to worry about.
Approach with caution (simple/drying alcohols):
- Alcohol denat (denatured alcohol)
- SD alcohol
- Ethanol / ethyl alcohol
- Isopropyl alcohol
Position on the ingredient list matters. Ingredients are listed in descending order by quantity, so a simple alcohol sitting in the top three to five ingredients means the product contains a lot of it, and that's the red flag. The same alcohol near the bottom of the list, present in a small amount to help an SPF or vitamin C formula absorb, is far less of a concern and most skin tolerates it without issue.
Who should be strictest: dry, sensitive or barrier-compromised skin should avoid high-alcohol formulas entirely. And somewhat counterintuitively, so should oily skin: that instant matte, degreased feeling is exactly the rebound-oil trap described above. If your skin is already tight, red or flaky from an alcohol-heavy toner, our skin barrier repair guide will get you back to baseline.
To sum it up
Fatty alcohols (cetyl, stearyl, cetearyl) are perfectly safe and often actively beneficial, added to improve the look, feel and texture of skincare products. Simple alcohols (alcohol denat, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol) in high concentrations dry the skin, compromise the lipid barrier and can accelerate visible aging. Check where the alcohol sits on the ingredient list, and when in doubt, pick the formula without it.