Why alcohol in skincare products is a big no-no

Skin cleansers are essential in any good skincare regimen for removing surface debris like dirt or makeup and also helping to get rid of excess oil that can clog your pores.

Unfortunately, some facial cleansers contain alcohol. This ingredient is very irritating and excessively drying for your skin, warns skincare expert Paula Begoun, and should be avoided at all cost. According to Anne Marie Gianni the problem with skincare with alcohol in are:

• They’re drying: These alcohols, in general, are drying and irritating to the skin. (Think about how your hands feel after you use hand sanitizer—most of which contain a good amount of alcohol.) They strip away the skin’s natural acid mantle, dehydrating cells and potentially increasing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
• They’re irritating: According to a 2008 study on ethanol and skin, “Ethanol use is associated with skin irritation or contact dermatitis….” They added that “up-to-date risk assessment of ethanol application on the skin and inside the oral cavity is currently lacking.”
• They disrupt barrier function: The skin has a natural barrier that helps seal in moisture and protect from environmental stressors and other damaging elements. Alcohol disrupts this barrier, leaving the skin more vulnerable to attack from irritants, allergens, bacteria, and viruses. In a 2003 study, scientists noted this to be true in doctors who were using alcohol-based cleansers to get germs off their hands. They found that it removed “barrier lipids” (healthy fats in the skin) and caused the skin to lose moisture and hydration. Evidence showed that modern foaming liquid cleansers were the major offender, and that replacing them reduced hand problems among hospital staff.
• They may damage skin: Shocking, right? But laboratory tests on skin cells have actually shown that ethanol (alcohol) can be toxic to them. In 2002, for example, researchers treated skin cells with different concentrations of ethanol. They found that ethanol damaged the cells, and may also induce “apoptosis” in skin cells—which means the cells died after exposure. Granted, this is a laboratory study, and the results may be different when tested on living, breathing skin, but the study doesn’t leave us with a fuzzy feeling.
• They can make acne worse: Many anti-acne formulations contain alcohol because of its germ-killing ability and the way it helps clear oil from the skin. These temporary benefits, however, aren’t worth the long-term problems. A 2011 study, for example, found that over time, acne formulations with alcohol actually exacerbate the condition, because they cause irritation and dryness. You know how acneic skin acts when it’s overly dry—it just produces more oil, leaving you with a worse problem than you had when you started.

Guinot Instant cleansing water gently cleanses and removes make-up in a single step. Your skin is soft and deeply cleansed. Cleansing face wash which delicately protects sensitive skin. And it’s all free of alcohol, parabens and artificial coloring agents.