Hey there, beauty enthusiasts! Let's have a chat about alcohol in cosmetics. But hold your horses, we're not talking about that pesky drying rubbing alcohol. Nope, we've got a gang of alcohol-based ingredients that are your skin's best buddies. Say hello to these 10 alcohol lookalikes that won't cause any havoc on your precious skin.
1. Cetyl Alcohol: The Silky Smooth Buddy
Imagine cetyl alcohol as your friendly, moisturizing sidekick derived from coconut oil*. It's the ingredient that adds thickness to creams and lotions, keeping your skin soft and supple. No dryness here, folks! If you ever try to formulate your own creams at home, you may find that even though you have the best oils and butters, the texture just does not absorb well into the skin. Cetyl Alcohol helps formulations have that silky smooth feeling.
2. Stearyl Alcohol: The Luxurious Emollient Pal
Meet stearyl alcohol! It's like a fancy emollient and texture enhancer derived from natural vegetable and animal fats. It gives your skin that luxurious feel without any drying side effects. For our vegan friends, check the label on your favourite products to know if the formulation is vegan or if their Stearyl Alcohol is animal derived.
3. Cetearyl Alcohol: The Perfect Blend of Goodness
Cetearyl alcohol is like the dynamic duo of cetyl and stearyl alcohol. It's an all-in-one emollient and stabilizer that improves the texture and consistency of your favorite creams and lotions, while keeping your skin happily hydrated.
4. Lauryl Alcohol: The Cleansing Champion
Lauryl alcohol to the rescue! Derived from coconut oil*, it's the surfactant and emulsifier in cleansers and shampoos. Surfactants are the foaming agent, and emulsifiers are the binders that make oil and water based ingredients join forces to do their work! Lauryl Alcohol banishes dirt and excess oil without leaving your skin high and dry. And guess what? It's a gentle soul, unlike other less-friendly surfactants out there, such as Sodium Laurel Sulfate.
5. Benzyl Alcohol: The Tiny Preservative Friend
Don't judge benzyl alcohol by its name—it's a preservative found naturally in some essential oils like jasmine and ylang-ylang. It fights off harmful bacteria and keeps your skincare products fresh without causing any harm to your skin. While the word “preservatives” can trigger the same run away fear as the word “alcohol” this is a wonderful ingredient that is significantly safer for your skin and the environment than PEGs and Parabens.
6. Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine: The Silky Smooth Operator
Here comes stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, a conditioning agent derived from stearic acid. Despite its "amine" association, it won't dry out your skin. It's commonly found in hair care products, leaving your locks silky and soft.
7. Arachidyl Alcohol: The Hydration Hero
Derived from peanut oil or beeswax, arachidyl alcohol is your skin's hydration hero. It's an emollient and thickener that locks in moisture, keeping your skin plump and happy.
8. Behenyl Alcohol: The Emulsion Expert
Say hello to behenyl alcohol, derived from vegetable oils like rapeseed or peanut oil. It's an emulsifier and stabilizer that improves the consistency of your cosmetics and adds a touch of moisturization, all without any dryness drama.
9. Myristyl Alcohol: The Texture Magician
Myristyl alcohol is the texture magician derived from vegetable oils or coconut oil. It works wonders as an emollient and thickening agent, giving your skin a boost of hydration and leaving it oh-so-smooth.
10. Lanolin Alcohol: The Lip Balm Legend
Last but not least, we have lanolin alcohol, derived from sheep's wool. This emollient and occlusive agent is like a comforting hug for your lips, soothing and moisturizing dry or chapped skin. Just a heads-up for our vegan friends, this one's not for you!
Now that you've met these alcohol lookalikes, it's time to bid farewell to the misconception that all alcohols are skin-drying villains. Try out for yourself our Better Body Butters – which all use that beautiful Cetyl alcohol to make butters that deeply hydrate but don’t sit forever on your skin!
*These alcohols can also be sourced from Palm Oil. We at Stoic avoid palm oil derived products for sustainability reasons <3
1. Cetyl Alcohol: The Silky Smooth Buddy
Imagine cetyl alcohol as your friendly, moisturizing sidekick derived from coconut oil*. It's the ingredient that adds thickness to creams and lotions, keeping your skin soft and supple. No dryness here, folks! If you ever try to formulate your own creams at home, you may find that even though you have the best oils and butters, the texture just does not absorb well into the skin. Cetyl Alcohol helps formulations have that silky smooth feeling.
2. Stearyl Alcohol: The Luxurious Emollient Pal
Meet stearyl alcohol! It's like a fancy emollient and texture enhancer derived from natural vegetable and animal fats. It gives your skin that luxurious feel without any drying side effects. For our vegan friends, check the label on your favourite products to know if the formulation is vegan or if their Stearyl Alcohol is animal derived.
3. Cetearyl Alcohol: The Perfect Blend of Goodness
Cetearyl alcohol is like the dynamic duo of cetyl and stearyl alcohol. It's an all-in-one emollient and stabilizer that improves the texture and consistency of your favorite creams and lotions, while keeping your skin happily hydrated.
4. Lauryl Alcohol: The Cleansing Champion
Lauryl alcohol to the rescue! Derived from coconut oil*, it's the surfactant and emulsifier in cleansers and shampoos. Surfactants are the foaming agent, and emulsifiers are the binders that make oil and water based ingredients join forces to do their work! Lauryl Alcohol banishes dirt and excess oil without leaving your skin high and dry. And guess what? It's a gentle soul, unlike other less-friendly surfactants out there, such as Sodium Laurel Sulfate.
5. Benzyl Alcohol: The Tiny Preservative Friend
Don't judge benzyl alcohol by its name—it's a preservative found naturally in some essential oils like jasmine and ylang-ylang. It fights off harmful bacteria and keeps your skincare products fresh without causing any harm to your skin. While the word “preservatives” can trigger the same run away fear as the word “alcohol” this is a wonderful ingredient that is significantly safer for your skin and the environment than PEGs and Parabens.
6. Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine: The Silky Smooth Operator
Here comes stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, a conditioning agent derived from stearic acid. Despite its "amine" association, it won't dry out your skin. It's commonly found in hair care products, leaving your locks silky and soft.
7. Arachidyl Alcohol: The Hydration Hero
Derived from peanut oil or beeswax, arachidyl alcohol is your skin's hydration hero. It's an emollient and thickener that locks in moisture, keeping your skin plump and happy.
8. Behenyl Alcohol: The Emulsion Expert
Say hello to behenyl alcohol, derived from vegetable oils like rapeseed or peanut oil. It's an emulsifier and stabilizer that improves the consistency of your cosmetics and adds a touch of moisturization, all without any dryness drama.
9. Myristyl Alcohol: The Texture Magician
Myristyl alcohol is the texture magician derived from vegetable oils or coconut oil. It works wonders as an emollient and thickening agent, giving your skin a boost of hydration and leaving it oh-so-smooth.
10. Lanolin Alcohol: The Lip Balm Legend
Last but not least, we have lanolin alcohol, derived from sheep's wool. This emollient and occlusive agent is like a comforting hug for your lips, soothing and moisturizing dry or chapped skin. Just a heads-up for our vegan friends, this one's not for you!
Now that you've met these alcohol lookalikes, it's time to bid farewell to the misconception that all alcohols are skin-drying villains. Try out for yourself our Better Body Butters – which all use that beautiful Cetyl alcohol to make butters that deeply hydrate but don’t sit forever on your skin!
*These alcohols can also be sourced from Palm Oil. We at Stoic avoid palm oil derived products for sustainability reasons <3