Alcohol is a cosmetic raw material and is widely used in formulas. Many consumers who pay attention to cosmetic ingredients believe that cosmetics with alcohol added will damage skin keratin and make the skin sensitive. So, why is alcohol added to cosmetics? Does alcohol have side effects? Which groups of people are not suitable for using cosmetics containing alcohol?
Alcohol, whose chemical name is ethanol, is a colorless, transparent and volatile liquid at room temperature and pressure. It is obtained by fermentation and distillation of plants rich in sugars. Alcohol can denature bacterial and viral proteins, thereby killing bacteria and viruses to achieve a disinfection effect. Alcohol with a concentration of 75% has the best disinfection effect. In addition, alcohol is a good detergent and degreasing agent. It has a low polarity, helps natural or chemical ingredients dissolve, and hardly interacts with other active substances in cosmetic formulas.
As an important basic raw material, alcohol is widely used in cosmetic formula systems. The role of alcohol in cosmetics:
① Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects;
② Provide products a cool feeling: Since alcohol is volatile, it takes away the heat from the skin surface when it evaporates, and it feels cool when used;
③ Solvent effect: First, it can dissolve those raw materials that are not easily soluble in other solvents in the formula, and secondly, it can dissolve the oil components on the skin surface to play a cleaning role;
④ Shrink pores effect: It can shrink pores, make pores smaller, and make the skin look more delicate.
The following are some examples of cosmetics adding alcohol.
1. Perfume
Alcohol can dissolve fragrance concentrates, and the lipophilic components in the fragrance that are difficult to dissolve in water have a higher solubility in alcohol. After the fragrance is dissolved in alcohol, the color is transparent and easy to spray. Because alcohol is volatile, the alcohol will evaporate after the perfume is sprayed or applied to the skin, and only the fragrance will remain on the skin surface to play the role of fragrance. Perfume products generally have higher quality requirements for ethanol. For the alcohol raw materials used to make perfume, the odor and purity requirements are more stringent. They must be specially treated to remove the fusel oil that affects the quality in the ethanol before use.
2. Facial mask
The alcohol used in facial mask is mainly used to dissolve certain ingredients and adjust the evaporation rate, and bring a cool feeling to the user. Alcohol is used more in vinyl facial mask and water-soluble polymer facial mask, and the content is generally below 10%. Alcohol is less used in wax-based, soil-based and now more popular cloth-based facial masks.
3. Skin care creams and lotions
Cream and lotion cosmetics are made by emulsification, mainly to maintain moderate moisture in the stratum corneum of the skin and maintain the water-oil balance in the skin. The amount of alcohol used in this type of cosmetics is relatively small, usually when adding a certain ingredient that needs alcohol to dissolve, or when some special products need to adjust the viscosity, the content generally does not exceed 3%.
4. Toner
Toner, also known as skin care water, plays a role in replenishing moisture and moisturizing the stratum corneum of the skin. Some toners use the solubilizing effect of alcohol to dissolve some non-water-soluble active ingredients in alcohol, so that the product maintains transparent color and stable system.
In addition, when alcohol evaporates, it absorbs heat from the surrounding environment, lowers the skin temperature, brings a refreshing feeling, shrinks the pores, and can temporarily tighten the pores. Toner is a type of cosmetic with a high alcohol content, and its alcohol content is generally around 30%.
5. Shower gel, shampoo
Shower gel and shampoo are cosmetics used to clean the skin or hair. Adding a small amount of alcohol to liquid shower gel or shampoo can give the user a cool feeling, and at the same time, as a solubilizer for cooling ingredients such as peppermint oil or menthol, it can meet the different skin feel needs of consumers. The alcohol content in this type of cosmetics generally does not exceed 3%.
The safety of cosmetics containing alcohol ingredients has received more and more attention. It should be pointed out that the alcohol used in cosmetics is a special alcohol that has been specially treated. Industrial alcohol is strictly prohibited from being used in cosmetic production. The reasonable use of cosmetics containing alcohol ingredients is beneficial to skin management. Consumers need to pay attention to the following points when using:
① Cosmetics containing alcohol ingredients should not be used on dehydrated skin and sensitive skin, otherwise it will irritate the skin, causing burning and stinging, and leading to redness and dryness symptoms.
② Try to avoid using cosmetics with high alcohol content before the skin is exposed to the sun, otherwise it is easy to cause symptoms such as skin redness, or cause dermatitis.
③ Baby skin is thinner, more delicate and more easily dehydrated than that of adults, and alcohol has strong permeability, which will irritate baby skin. Cosmetics with high alcohol concentrations may even cause the risk of alcohol poisoning in babies. Therefore, it is not suitable for babies to use cosmetics containing alcohol.
④ For consumers who need to use cosmetics containing alcohol for a long time, it is best to use skin care products with moisturizing and emollient effects to ensure the water and oil balance on the skin surface.
⑤ People who are allergic to alcohol or people with sensitive skin cannot use cosmetics containing alcohol.
⑥ Do not rely on the sense of smell to determine whether there is alcohol in cosmetics. Not all cosmetics containing alcohol have an alcohol smell, because high-grade alcohol itself has a soft smell, and mixed with the fragrance of the spices in the formula, it is difficult for consumers to smell the smell of alcohol through their sense of smell. For example, perfume is made by dissolving spices in alcohol, and high-end perfume has no smell of alcohol at all.
What role does alcohol play in cosmetics?
The use of cosmetics containing alcohol ingredients needs to vary from person to person. The ingredients added to cosmetics can reflect the efficacy and safety of the product to a certain extent, but the type of ingredients or the efficacy of a single ingredient is not the only criterion for judging the quality of cosmetics. When purchasing cosmetics, in addition to paying attention to the ingredients, consumers can also rationally choose cosmetics that suit them by understanding the process technology, ingredient formula and other knowledge.
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