Alcohols in Skincare: Which Ones to Love, Which Ones to Leave

Ever scanned a skincare label, spotted the word “alcohol,” and wondered if it’s something you should avoid? You’re not alone. In skincare, “alcohol” covers several different ingredients—some that can dry or irritate your skin, and others that are perfectly safe (even beneficial). Knowing the difference makes all the difference. Let’s break down which alcohols to watch out for – and which ones actually support healthy, hydrated skin.

Understanding Alcohols in Skincare

In the context of skincare, “alcohol” refers to any ingredient that chemically is an alcohol (a molecule with an -OH group) and is listed as such on the ingredient label. This can be confusing because “alcohol” on a skincare label doesn’t always mean the stuff in your cocktail. It’s a broader category. For example, ethanol (the alcohol in alcoholic drinks) might appear as “Alcohol Denat.” in a toner, while cetyl alcohol (a moisturizing waxy substance) could be in your cream. Both are alcohols chemically, but they behave very differently on your skin.

So when you hear “avoid products with alcohol,” it’s important to ask: which type of alcohol?  .

Types of Alcohols in Skincare: Drying vs. Fatty

Alcohols in skincare can generally be divided into two categories: simple (or “drying”) alcohols and fatty (or “emollient”) alcohols. Understanding the difference will help you make better choices for your skin.

• Simple alcohols – small, volatile (quick-evaporating) alcohols that are often used as solvents or astringents. These tend to be the “drying” kind that can strip moisture.

• Fatty alcohols – larger, waxy alcohols derived from fats/oils. These are non-drying and actually help moisturize or stabilize products. They’re often called “fatty” or “emollient” alcohols.

  
  

Let’s look at each category in more detail, with common examples.

Simple (Drying) Alcohols – The Ones to Use Sparingly

Simple alcohols in skincare are the lightweight liquids that evaporate fast. They’re added to formulations to help ingredients penetrate the skin, to thin out a product’s texture, or to give you that fresh “quick dry” feeling. However, these benefits come with a trade-off: they can dry out your skin, especially in high concentrations. They may also irritate sensitive skin or, with long-term use, potentially disturb your skin’s protective barrier (leading to redness or flakiness)​. If you have ever used an astringent toner that left your face feeling “squeaky clean” or tight, it probably had a high amount of a simple alcohol.

Common drying alcohol ingredients (to avoid or use with caution) include:

• Denatured Alcohol (Alcohol Denat., SD Alcohol 40) – This is ethanol that has been “denatured” (chemically modified with bitter additives) so it’s not drinkable. It’s very common in skincare and cosmetics as a solvent (dissolves other ingredients) and for its quick-drying, degreasing effect. You’ll often see it in toners, setting sprays, or products for oily skin. While it can make formulas feel light and refreshing, it can be very drying if it’s one of the first ingredients on the list​. Over time, high levels of alcohol denat may strip the skin’s natural oils and lead to irritation.

• Ethanol (Ethyl Alcohol) – Chemically, this is the same type of alcohol as Alcohol Denat. (ethanol is usually denatured when used in cosmetics). It provides that instant cool sensation and matte finish. Ethanol is antibacterial and helps actives penetrate, but on skin it evaporates quickly, which can draw out moisture. Regular use of ethanol-heavy products can cause dryness or make oily skin overcompensate by producing more oil in the long run. In short, it’s best in moderation.

• Isopropyl Alcohol (Isopropanol) – Also known as rubbing alcohol, this is another fast-evaporating solvent. In skincare, you might find it in acne spot treatments, cleansers, or hand sanitizers. It gives a very quick dry-down and can help kill surface bacteria. However, isopropyl alcohol is highly drying and can be irritating to skin with frequent use (ever notice how it leaves your hands super dry?). It should typically be limited to specific uses (like disinfecting a pimple or cleaning skin before a medical procedure) rather than daily skincare, as it can strip away water and oil from the skin’s surface.

• Methanol – A very harsh alcohol (sometimes called wood alcohol). It’s rarely used in skincare products (due to its toxicity), but if you ever encounter it, avoid it. Methanol can be extremely drying and can even be poisonous if absorbed in significant amounts. It’s more of a lab chemical than a cosmetic ingredient, so it’s unlikely to appear in reputable skincare – but now you know the name.

Fatty (Emollient) Alcohols – The “Good” Alcohols

Now for the good news: not all alcohols will dry or irritate your skin. Fatty alcohols are a completely different beast. Think of them as the “friendly” alcohols in skincare. These are long-chain alcohols derived from natural fats (like coconut oil, palm oil, or other plant oils). In appearance and function, they’re more like waxy solids. Fatty alcohols are added to skincare products as emollients and thickeners – they help moisturize the skin by reinforcing the skin barrier and preventing water loss, and they give creams and lotions a pleasing, creamy texture. Far from being drying, they actually condition the skin and can make a product more gentle. These ingredients are non-irritating and generally safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin​. In fact, they’re often present in creams for eczema or dry skin precisely because they help soften and protect.

Common fatty alcohols (skin-safe and beneficial) include:

• Cetyl Alcohol – A fatty alcohol originally derived from coconut or palm oil. It’s a white, waxy solid. In creams and lotions, cetyl alcohol works as an emollient, meaning it helps soften and smooth the skin. It also functions as a thickener and emulsifier (helping oil and water parts of a formula stay mixed). Products with cetyl alcohol often feel rich and cushioning on the skin (but not greasy).

• Stearyl Alcohol – Another waxy alcohol, stearyl is similar to cetyl but has a slightly longer carbon chain. It’s used as an emollient and viscosity booster (to give products a nice body and consistency). Stearyl alcohol helps trap moisture in the skin and gives creams a velvety feel. You’ll find it in many heavier moisturizers, ointments, and conditioners.

• Cetearyl Alcohol – This is actually a mixture of cetyl + stearyl alcohol (typically a 50/50 blend). It combines the properties of both, so it’s one of the most common fatty alcohols in ingredient lists. Cetearyl alcohol makes lotions creamy and stabilizes the formulation so it doesn’t separate. It’s also an effective emollient, so it helps your skin hold onto moisture.

• Behenyl Alcohol – A fatty alcohol with an even longer chain (derived from behenic acid, found in certain oils). Behenyl alcohol is used as a conditioning agent and thickener. It helps form a protective film on the skin, which is great for locking in hydration. It’s commonly found in high-end moisturizers and hair conditioners.

• Other fatty alcohols: There are others you might encounter, like myristyl alcohol (another thickener/emollient), lauryl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, etc. These all have similar functions – they’re generally waxy or oily in texture and help moisturize or improve product consistency. Some fatty alcohols come from animal sources (like lanolin alcohol from wool wax), but those are less common and can be allergenic for some. The key takeaway is that an ingredient with an “-yl alcohol” (cetyl, stearyl, cetearyl, etc.) is usually in this friendly category.

(One point of potential confusion: chemically, glycols (like propylene glycol or butylene glycol) and glycerin are also types of alcohols (they have hydroxyl groups), but in skincare we class them differently – they’re humectants, not referred to as “alcohol” on labels. Those are generally safe and hydrating too. This post mainly focuses on ingredients that actually have “alcohol” in their name.)

The Gray Area: What About Benzyl Alcohol?

You may have noticed benzyl alcohol on some ingredient labels – it’s a bit of an outlier. Benzyl alcohol doesn’t fit neatly into the “drying vs. fatty” split. It’s actually an aromatic alcohol (chemically, a benzene ring with an alcohol group). In skincare, benzyl alcohol is primarily used as a preservative and sometimes as a solvent or fragrance component. It occurs naturally in some essential oils (like jasmine and ylang-ylang) and fruits, but can also be made synthetically​.

Is benzyl alcohol safe? Generally, yes – in the small amounts used in cosmetics, benzyl alcohol is considered safe and non-problematic for most people. It’s approved as a preservative in natural or “organic” labeled products, because it’s one of the few naturally-derived preservatives available. Typically, you’ll find it listed near the end of the ingredient list, indicating a low concentration (often less than 1%). At those levels, it functions to prevent bacteria or mold from growing in your product, extending its shelf life​. It also has a mild pleasant scent and can boost a product’s fragrance profile.

That said, benzyl alcohol can be a bit of a gray area because it is an alcohol and it can cause irritation for a minority of people. It has been associated with contact allergic reactions in some individuals. If you have very sensitive or allergy-prone skin, you might want to be cautious with it. Signs of a benzyl alcohol allergy would include redness, itching, or a rash after using a product containing it. Such allergies aren’t common, but they exist.

For most folks, benzyl alcohol in a formula is nothing to worry about – especially if it’s listed in a low concentration. Dermatologists generally consider it safe as used in cosmetics. The context where you might be more cautious is if benzyl alcohol is used in higher concentration for its scent (since it’s naturally fragrant). In leave-on products where it’s acting as a fragrance, the percentage might be a bit higher, and very sensitive skin could potentially react.

Cheat Sheet: Safe vs. Drying Alcohols in Skincare

To recap, here’s a quick reference table of which alcohols are generally safe (beneficial) and which to avoid or use sparingly in skincare:

Typically Safe (Fatty/Emollient Alcohols)	Avoid or Use Sparingly (Drying Alcohols)
Cetyl Alcohol	Denatured Alcohol (Alcohol Denat.)
Stearyl Alcohol	Ethanol (Ethyl Alcohol)
Cetearyl Alcohol	Isopropyl Alcohol (Isopropanol)
Behenyl Alcohol	SD Alcohol (Special Denatured Alcohol)*
Myristyl, Lauryl, and other long-chain alcohols	Methanol (rarely used in cosmetics)

*SD Alcohol is simply denatured ethanol often listed with a code (e.g., SD Alcohol 40-B). It behaves like ethanol/denatured alcohol in products.

Use this as a handy guide when checking ingredients. The left column contains fatty alcohols (and similar high-carbon alcohols) that condition the skin and are generally nothing to worry about. The right column lists the simple alcohols that you’ll want to avoid in high concentrations, as they are the ones that can dry and irritate skin.

And where does Benzyl Alcohol fit? Think of it as generally safe in small amounts (preservative), but not an emollient. We’d put it in a middle column if we had one: mostly okay, but watch out if you’re sensitive.

How to Identify These Alcohols on Product Labels

Reading cosmetic ingredient labels can feel like decoding a foreign language. Here are some tips to spot alcohols (good or bad) on the label:

• Look for the word “Alcohol.” On ingredient lists (which are usually on the product box or bottle), the names of ingredients will often include “alcohol” if it’s one of the types we discussed. For example: Alcohol Denat., Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol will be written out as such.

• Know the synonyms: “Alcohol Denat.” and “SD Alcohol” (with a number/letter) are essentially ethanol/ethyl alcohol. If you see those terms, you’re looking at a drying alcohol. “Isopropyl alcohol” might also be listed under its chemical name Isopropanol (less common, but just so you know – it’s the same thing).

• Order matters. Ingredients in cosmetics are listed in descending order by weight (until you get below 1% concentration, after which they can be in any order). This means if “Alcohol Denat” is the second ingredient, the product contains a lot of it. If it’s listed at the very end, there’s only a tiny amount. As a rule of thumb, if a drying alcohol is within the first 5–7 ingredients, it’s likely a high concentration that could be drying​. If a potentially problematic alcohol is way down the list (say, after ingredients like fragrance or preservatives), the amount is probably very low – likely not enough to cause issues in a well-formulated product.

• Fatty alcohols often appear mid-list. You’ll commonly find cetyl, stearyl, or cetearyl alcohol around the middle of an ingredient list (for example, after the water and oils, but before the preservatives and fragrance). This makes sense, as they are used in decent amounts to form the cream’s base. Seeing those in the middle (or even top third) of the list is fine – they’re there to moisturize and stabilize the formula, not dry your skin out.

• When in doubt, look it up. If you come across an unfamiliar ingredient that ends in “-ol” or “-alcohol,” and you’re not sure which category it falls into, do a quick search on a reputable cosmetic ingredient database (such as INCIDecoder or EWG Skin Deep). For example, a quick lookup will tell you that oleyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol (emollient), whereas denatured alcohol is drying. Over time, you’ll start recognizing the common ones.

Should You Avoid Drying Alcohols Altogether?

At this point, you might be wondering: Should I avoid drying alcohols completely – especially if I prefer clean skincare? It’s a fair question.

While ingredients like denatured alcohol (Alcohol Denat.), ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol aren’t classified as harmful in the same way as, say, parabens or synthetic dyes, they can compromise your skin barrier when used frequently or at high concentrations. Many clean beauty brands (like us!) opt to leave these alcohols out — not because they’re toxic, but because they don’t align with the goal of creating products that support long-term skin health and barrier strength.

Why Clean Beauty Often Skips Drying Alcohols:

• Skin-first approach: Clean skincare emphasizes nourishing and supporting the skin, not stripping it. Drying alcohols may give products a lightweight or fast-drying feel, but over time they can dehydrate skin and disrupt its natural balance.

• No shortcuts: Some formulations rely on drying alcohols to improve texture or absorbency. Clean beauty prefers achieving these results through gentler alternatives, like humectants, oils, or botanical extracts.

• Sensitive skin focus: Many people turn to clean beauty to avoid potential irritants. Drying alcohols—especially in higher concentrations—can be irritating to sensitive, dry, or compromised skin types.

Is It Necessary to Avoid Them 100%? Not always. In some products, small amounts of drying alcohols can help deliver certain actives or give a desired texture without causing harm—context matters. But if your skincare philosophy leans toward supporting your skin barrier and minimizing potential irritants, avoiding drying alcohols altogether is an easy way to stay aligned with that approach.

If your skincare philosophy leans toward barrier-friendly and gentle formulations, skipping drying alcohols is a simple step, and if you’re aiming to align with strict clean beauty standards, then yes, avoiding drying alcohols entirely supports that approach. When in doubt, err on the side of gentle: If you’re torn, it’s generally safe to stick with products that use fatty alcohols and are free of high amounts of drying alcohols. There are usually alcohol-free (the bad kind) options for most skincare steps now, so you don’t have to use one with alcohol if you’re not comfortable with it. Ultimately, it’s a personal choice, and about choosing ingredients that prioritize skin health without unnecessary compromises. By considering these factors – your skin type, the ingredient list context, product usage – you can make an informed decision about whether an alcohol-containing product is right for you.