Discover whether your beauty cabinet is doing more harm than good as our skincare expert explains what to look for on the label.
There’s so much science thrown around when it comes to skincare products that it’s hard to know whether your cosmetics are doing more damage than good. Holistic skincare expert Angela Egan explains what too look for on the label, so you’ll know which alcohols will pamper your skin and which will strip away your precious natural oils.
Avoid throwing the baby out with the bath water when it comes to skincare ingredients. I’m both delighted and concerned that clients, as well as skincare therapists, are becoming better informed about the ingredients in our skincare products.
Delighted because this means more people are making more informed and empowered decisions about the products they use. Consumers are holding cosmetic manufactures to account by challenging the hype and voting with their wallets (or purses).
Concerned, because it seems a little knowledge could be responsible for our dismissing products that could in fact be the answer we’re looking for – particularly where skincare is concerned.
Let’s start with alcohol.
Alcohols are a group of organic compounds that have a vast range of forms and uses in cosmetics. Much has been written about the damaging affects alcohol has on the skin. Often found in toners (also referred to as astringents, clarifiers, refiners, fresheners and tonics) but also present in cleaners, spritzers, tanning lotions, moisturisers, facial wipes, antibacterial products and most perfume. It is used primarily to enable the product to dry; otherwise we’d be left with tacky feeling skin.
Some alcohols are responsible for stripping the skin of our natural protection from micro-organisms and airborne bacteria by disrupting the pH balance of the acid mantle. Simultaneously it dries the skin by removing sebum, or moisture, causing itchiness, redness, burning and fine lines.
These damaging alcohols have a low molecular weight and need to be avoided at all costs. These are usually listed as:
Surfactant - acronym for surface active agent. Surfactants degrease and emulsify oils and fats, allowing them to be washed away, as laundry products do. Surfactants are used in most forms of cleansers and many of them are considered gentle and effective for most skin types.
Emollient - supple, wax like, lubricating, thickening agents that prevent water loss and have a softening and soothing effect on the skin. |
o ethanol
o denatured alcohol
o ethyl alcohol
o methanol
o benzyl alcohol
o isopropyl alcohol
o SD alcohol
However, some benign forms – glycols - are positively wonderful and have huge benefits for the health of our skin. Commonly listed as:
o Batyl alcohol
o Cetearyl alcohol
o Cetyl
o Chlorphenesin
o Lanolin alcohol
o Stearyl alcohol
These are fats and oils which have emollient and surfactant properties. Many are also used as stabilisers and preservatives in cosmetics and skincare products, or for helping keep other ingredients intact in a formulation. Many are derived naturally, such as coconut fatty alcohol, or can be produced synthetically. These are not irritants and are not related to the alcohols listed above.
Angela Egan is an expert in holistic medicine and psychotherapy, and the founder of Pure Vision UK, developing retail business for spas & salons. She is the writer of hot new book Holistic Skincare: An Essential Guide for Therapists, out now. Visit www.purevisionuk.com
If you have a question for Angela, or if you’d like to find out more about a specific skincare ingredient, let us know by using the Comment on this Article box below.