Is alcohol in cosmetics safe or not?
We all try to avoid it as much as possible but many of us
don’t know that are many types of alcohol: the good ones and the nasty ones. In
benign form alcohols are glycols used as humectants that help deliver
ingredients into skin. When fats and oils are chemically reduced, they become a
group of less-dense alcohols called fatty alcohols that can have emollient
properties or can become detergent cleansing agents. No matter your skin-care
concerns, alcohol as a main ingredient in any skin-care product is a problem.
The nasty ones
have low molecular weights. These include ethanol, denatured alcohol, ethyl
alcohol, methanol, benzyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and SD alcohol, which not
only can be extremely drying and irritating to skin but also cytotoxic.
Benzyl alcohol
is actually a natural ingredient. Many plants, fruits, and teas have it as a
component, as do essential oils like jasmine, hyacinth, and ylang-ylang. Unfortunately,
in most personal care products, you’re not going to find the natural version,
but you will find the synthetic version very irritating to the skin. Most of
the time, you’ll find this ingredient in bath products, soaps and detergents,
eye makeup, blushes, cleansing products, shaving products, makeup, and blush,
as well as in hair, nail, and other skin care products. Sometimes it can be
very confusing with alcohol as some of them can be in the ingredient listing under several
different names. As for the good ones there is cetyl, stearyl, cetearyl.
Well, it seems that the good ones are not so many, so I hope is easy to keep them in your mind while you are shopping for new cosmetics.
Well, it seems that the good ones are not so many, so I hope is easy to keep them in your mind while you are shopping for new cosmetics.
Cetyl is extracted from coconut oil, it is an emollient that
is included in skin care products to stabilize the formulations or to alter
their consistencies, or to increase their foaming capacity. It is often
included in baby lotions, hand creams, foundation, lipsticks, shampoos,
mascara, deodorants, nail polish removers, and their effects on the skin are
quite different from those of ethyl alcohol.
Stearyl alcohol is also derived from coconut oil. Because it
is an emollient as well as an emulsifier, it can be substituted for cetyl
alcohol to firm skin care formulations. It is mostly found in creams,
lubricants, depilatories and conditioners.
Cetearyl alcohol is an emulsifying wax that is used to
soften thick formulas like skin ointments. Derived from natural oils and fats,
it is very efficient in stabilizing skin care formulations because it imparts
an emollient feel to the skin.
Alcohol harms your
skin's protective barrier, triggers free-radical damage, makes oily skin and
redness worse, and is best described as "pro-aging."
Alcohol-based anti-acne products increase both irritation
and dryness, and this can make it harder for those battling acne to stick to
their routine. Anti-acne products that contain milder alternatives to alcohol
are better for skin. The irony of using alcohol-based treatments is that the
damage they cause leads to an increase of acne-causing bacteria, and makes
inflammation worse, the consequence of which are red marks that stay around for
much longer than they would otherwise.For those with oily skin, alcohol can
stimulate oil production at the base of the pore, so the immediate de-greasing
effect is eventually counteracted by oily skin producing even more oil’.
You can easily avoid
this preservative by passing by any products that list it on the label. Be
careful, as well, with products that simply say “fragrance” on the ingredient
list, as that means the product could contain benzyl alcohol, but they don’t
have to tell you because fragrances are protected as proprietary formulas.
Sources: Journal of Investigative Dermatology, August 2009, pages 20–24
eMedicine Journal, May 8, 2002, volume 3
www.naturalhealthway.com
www.naturalingredient.org
In ultimul timp am inceput sa analizez si eu etichetele, insa am observat ca tenul meu nu reactioneaza urat la acest ingredient daca este in cantitati mici. totusi, cu unele produse Vichy nu m-am inteles , si tin sa cred ca este din cauza acoolului in cantitati mari.
ReplyDeleteDin cate stiu eu, Uniunea Europeana are niste legi super aspre privind cantitatea de alcool folosita in produsele de skin- care, procentul maxim folosit din alcoolul"rau" este de maxim1%, pe cand in USA se foloseste intre 5 si 10%. Este posibil ca VICHY sa contina si alte substante care produc alergii, iritatii si este aproape imposibil sa gasim produse de machiaj sau skin care fara alcool, pana si cei de la Weleda au spus ca au incercat si nu se poate. Fara alcool nutrientii si humectantii din crema nu mai ajung la piele.Daca tot nu se poate evita atunci trebuie sa ne orientam catre produse care au ca alcooli cat mai spre sf listei de ingrediente si sa invatam sa facem diferenta intre ei .
DeleteMultu ca m-ai luminat! :D e grea treaba asta cu alcoolul din cosmetice.
DeleteMa bucur ca ai citit :) sper sa-ti fie de folos !
DeleteFoarte interesant articolul. Eu nu am avut niciodata probleme legate de alcool ca ingredient in cosmetice, cel putin nu evidente si nu sa ma faca sa ma gandesc ca vreun ingredient din produs mi-a cauzat neplaceri. Dar cu siguranta nu este benefic pentru piele. Doar in ultimul timp am devenit foarte sensibila, cel mai probabil probabil din cauza unei alergii depistate recent (nichel).
ReplyDeleteEu dupa ce m-am mutat in Olanda am facut alergie la apa de la robinet, desi astia au cea mai curata apa din Europa. La alcool din cosmetice conteaza foarte mult din ce a fost obtionut acesta,ce tip este si din ce anume a fost extras.Spre exemplu Cetyl este extras din nuca de cocos si este emolient iar isopropyl este sintetic,citotoxic, extrem de periculos omoara absolut orice in calea lui,la o pesula real techniques mi-a topit plaSticul de la manerul pensulei, deci imgineaza-ti asa ceva intr-un produs cosmetic.
DeleteAm cunoscut un medic care mi-a spus ca persoanele predispuse la alergii(chiar si metale ) au sistemul imunitar mai puternic si au mai putine sanse de a dezvolta cancer,acum nu stiu daca este sau nu este adevarat :))
Eu am studiat despre nichel ca asta ma framanta si, in cantitati mari in organism, este cancerigen. Iar alergiile se manifesta cand cantitatea este mare. Sper, totusi, sa aiba dreptate medicii cu care ai vorbit:)) Oricum am inceput un tratament de eliminare a metalelor grele din organism si simptomele neplacute s-au redus :*
DeleteSi eu stiu ca este cancerigen,dar de la ce ai avut o cantitate atat de mare ? Purtai bijurterii din nichel sau vreo curea?acum cativa ani, aveam o cantitate foarte mare de aluminium si amoniac in sange, peste limitele normale cu mult si era de la vopseaua de par.
DeleteDeci alea naspa sunt: cethanol, denatured alcohol, ethyl alcohol, methanol, benzyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, SD alcohol; si alea ok sunt: cetyl, stearyl, cetearyl? Si cosmetice fara alcol nu exista, sau? Ma enerveaza cand trebuie sa citesc ingrediente si cand folosesc un brand organic...imi vine cateodata sa imi fac sapunul meu si sa nu mai pun nimic pe corp! Cine stie cate bagam in noi fara ca macar sa stim! Interesant si terrifying! Pup
ReplyDeleteFara alcool nu se poate, cei de la Weleda au incercat de foarte multe ori.Nu exista stabilitate in produs. Cetyl, stearyl, cetearyl sunt de obicei alcooli produsi prin fermentatie din grasimi si derivati, nu sunt sintetici din laborator.De cele mai multe ori sunt din nuca de cocos.Benzyl,in mod normal si el ar trebui sa fie la fel de natural din fructe si plante insa 99%din cazuri se regaseste in produsele cosmetice sub forma sintetica, si cand nu este trecut ca si benzyl e ascuns sub denumirea de parfum sau mai stiu eu ce denumiri chimice prescurtate au gasit in ultimul timp.Esentele acealea parfumate pe care le cumparam noi din diverse magazine sunt de cele mai multe ori benzyl sintetic si alte chestii ...si sunt foarte foarte toxice, distrug celule sanatoase, pe termen lung au efect citotoxic, deregleaza sistemul imunitar si sistemul nervos . Zilele astea am citit ca s-au gasit tot felul de prescurtari pt a ascunde ingrediente naspa in produse cosmetice, si tot asa ca cica de cele mai multe ori natural si organic exista doar pe eticheta ca in tub nici nu se pune problema. in US nu exista culturi organice, nu mai mult de 1%, iar din aia sigur nu se foloseste ca sa ne produca noua creme.
DeleteVery Informative article....It is helpful in buying makeup products for next time
ReplyDelete