You have probably heard about it from everyone and everywhere, that if alcohol is present in your skin care products it is a huge no-no and an ingredient to avoid because it is not good for your skin. Well it is not entirely wrong but also not entirely right either.

There are always good and bad in something even for alcohol ingredients. So have we been misunderstanding alcohol all these while?

The bad alcohol- A big No-No!

This type of alcohol is known as the drying type which allows skincare products to dry faster so that it feels weightless on your skin and it is often used as a form of preservative. While it comes with short term benefits it also comes with long term consequences. Consequences which include skin dryness, weaker skin protective barrier and skin absorption.

These are some alcohol ingredient labels to look out for: Propyl, Isopropyl alcohol and SD alcohol.

The good alcohol- Green Light of approval!

The other type of alcohol in which we refer to them as good alcohol is Fatty alcohol. This type of alcohol is commonly derived from a natural source such as vegetables and plants, making them exceptionally gentle and nourishing to the skin. The skin-friendly alcohol is beneficial for the skin as it locks the moisture, keeping our skin healthy and supple. 

Here are some skin-friendly alcohol labels to look for: Ethyl alcohol, Cetyl alcohol, Cetearyl alcohol and Stearyl alcohol.