when you look at the ingredient lists of products like shower gel, conditioner etc. there are often several types of alcohol included…what’s the difference between these alcohols?

Question

A shower thought of mine haha

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

An “alcohol” is actually a class of molecules that are related in their molecular structure. The one we drink is called “ethyl alcohol”, but there are a lot of different ones. They have different consistencies, odors, abilities to dissolve substances and volatility. So depending on what the manufacturer wants, you add the kind that makes sense.