They are used in cosmetic products such as body creams, hair dyes, aftershave lotions, perfumes, etc.
The Benefits of Alcohol in Cosmetics
Bactericide, grease remover, preservative and disinfectant serve as an anti-inflammatory or deodorant, as a solvent to extract from plants their water-insoluble substances such as volatile essential oils, for example.
What about Your Skin Care?
Applied in large quantities, ethanol has a degreasing action on the skin, and given its hygroscopic properties, it absorbs water and leaves the skin dry and chapped: but rest assured, these effects diminish when it is mixed with water!
Products that contain a lot of ethanol can, therefore, quickly create a vicious circle: we use a cream to moisturize our dry skin, but the cream will dry it out even more, which encourages us to apply even more cream, etc. It depends on the nature and concentration of the alcohol used in the cosmetic product.
At 5% or less, alcohol poses no problem: used primarily as a natural preservative that keeps the product sterile, it will then be evaporated entirely during application and will have no drying effect on the skin. Alcohol is much better than many chemical preservatives regularly used in traditional cosmetics, such as parabens. These remain on the skin all day and are absorbed by the body.
Fatty alcohols and alcohol waxes moisturize the skin and help reduce irritation. Coconut fatty alcohol is used in cosmetics as a natural plasticizer or thickening agent. The only drawback is that it cannot be mixed with water.
Alcohols are suitable for the skin: alcohol, benthic, cetearyl alcohol, lanolin alcohol and stearyl alcohol.
To Summarize
Check the ingredients of your cosmetics. Where is the alcohol, what is its exact name, for example. If alcohol is listed second, for example, then people with sensitive skin should switch to another product.
The term "alcohol-free" in cosmetics does not mean that no alcohol is included. According to the regulations for cosmetics, it only means that the product does not contain "bad" alcohol that dries out the skin. So fatty alcohols and alcohol waxes can be accepted as extraction solvents, etc.
For You
Mother Earth Herbalism offers mother tinctures to simplify your life. A vast choice of plants is available, do not hesitate to use them in your cosmetic preparations. Before attempting to use them for your health, consult a herbalist who will first evaluate your health. There may be precautions or contraindications depending on your health problems or the medication you may be taking. Caution is always the best advice.
Have a good shopping experience in the online store,
Magalie