why do most lotions contain alcohol when alcohol is very drying for skin?
In: Chemistry
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.
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