Even when I was younger with oily skin, I always found alcohol to be vey drying. Now that I have more mature skin, I never use it. Despite it’s harsh effect on the skin, it is still present in so many skincare products- including organic ones. Here’s where I’ll explain the trouble with alcohol in skincare.
It’s true that alcohol in skincare has benefits. It can give denser creams a lighter feel and it can give temporary relief to too much oiliness. It can even help some ingredients to penetrate more deeply. But the main reason it is used in organic skincare products is because it is one of the only effective preservatives allowed by the United States Department of Agriculture’s organic standard.
Good for Shelf Life, Not Your Complexion
While alcohol is good for the shelf life of products, it’s simply too harsh for the skin. It’s one of the reasons why people think organic skincare is not as effective as conventional, chemically-laden skincare. The alcohol in it degrades the benefits that are otherwise available from organic ingredients!
It also strips away the skin’s protective barrier which is how it helps some ingredients to penetrate deeper. This causes the skin to become more prone to dryness and signs of aging. As skin becomes more sensitive, it becomes less and less able to withstand the effects of alcohol, resulting in irritation and even rawness.
Tempting for Acne Sufferers, But Self-Defeating
Some people with oily skin are prone to acne and use alcohol-based toners to strip the excess oil from their skin. Unfortunately, this prompts the body to respond by increasing its oil production. This leads to a continuous, self-defeating cycle that could have been avoided to begin with.
Additionally, there are other problems with alcohol on the skin. It can reduce resistance to free radical damage – the very opposite of anti-aging, and another reason why organic skincare is often less effective than it should be.
Finding Organic Products Without Alcohol
When alcohol is used as a preservative in an organic product, it generally takes up about 14% of the volume of the product – it’s not just a few drops! So it really pays to look at the ingredient lists of products you are using on your skin. Avoid alcohols listed as “organic alcohol” or as ethanol, denatured, isopropyl, methanol or ethyl alcohol.
Ecocert Enables Alcohol-Free Organic Skincare
It is unfortunate that the U.S. organic standard pushes so many manufacturers to use alcohol as a preservative. Just because it is organic alcohol does not make it any better for your skin. That’s why we decided to have Gaelle Organic’s products be certified by Ecocert, Europe’s leading organic certifier. Ecocert’s organic cosmetics standard supports the formulation and manufacture of organic skincare without the use of alcohol.
In closing, there is no need to use harsh chemicals such as alcohol on your skin. Once you give your skin a complete break from them and use pure organic products instead, you will be amazed by how quickly and fully your skin rejuvenates itself.
Click to see Gaelle Organic’s alcohol-free skincare line
Click to learn five good reasons to chose Ecocertified products for your skin
