why do most lotions contain alcohol when alcohol is very drying for skin?

877 views

why do most lotions contain alcohol when alcohol is very drying for skin?

In: Chemistry

15 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Like almost everything else sold today, the solution is meant to secretly enhance the need.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Glycerin, part of fat and a moisturizer, is an alcohol too. Really, almost anything that has a hydroxyl group (HO) on a hydrocarbon is an alcohol, including sorbitol(hexanhexol). Its just that ethanol i the more well known one due to being fun

Anonymous 0 Comments

Similarly, is salt in shampoo used as a preservative? Almost all of them have NaCl in it and my hair doesn’t like seawater.

Anonymous 0 Comments

[removed]

Anonymous 0 Comments

because the other stuff makes it feel temporarily soft and moisturized, but the alcohol ultimately dries it out more so that you have to buy more of their lotion. capitalism baby

Anonymous 0 Comments

[removed]

Anonymous 0 Comments

The only ones to worry about are ‘denatured’ ‘sd alcohol 40’ and ‘isopropyl’. All the others are emollients or softeners and are fine.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Alcohol, by itself, is indeed very drying for skin. However, many moisturizing chemicals are dissolved in the alcohol. The alcohol helps deliver the moisturizers into the skin before evaporating, leaving your skin more hydrated than before.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Firstly you’re confusing the word alcohol in common use with alcohol in professional use. In common use, it tends to be referring to ethanol 90% of the time. In professional use, it is just the name of a wide group of chemicals. Their properties and effects on skin vary with each individual chemical.

Secondly, the core of the very question itself (alcohol ie ethanol is very drying for skin) is a disputed claim with no clear answer. Studies often report no changes in dryness or no differences in comparison to an equivalent exposure to water.

Thirdly, your lotion is likely a cosmetic, not a drug. It’s under a completely different level of scrutiny from regulatory bodies. Under US law, they can basically print any claim they want as long as they don’t claim to be for therapeutic use, such as treating or preventing disease, or to be able to affect the structure or function of the body (because they would be scrutinised and regulated as a drug at that point). The “dermatologist approved/tested” label means nothing, companies are not required to back up that claim.

Anonymous 0 Comments

For most people’s skin it works great but if you have eczema it’s best to stay away from those creams in my experience