Alcohol in Skincare: Clean or Just Cheap?

Let’s talk about alcohol — and no, not the kind that makes you text your ex.
We mean alcohol in your skincare — and why it’s not as clean as the label wants you to think.

🚨 First, Know This: Not All Alcohols Are Equal.

There are two main types of alcohol used in skincare:

❌ Drying Alcohols (the bad guys):

These are the ones that mess with your skin barrier and leave your face feeling tight, irritated, or randomly broken out:

• Alcohol Denat.

• Ethanol

• Isopropyl Alcohol

• SD Alcohol 40

Brands use them because they evaporate quickly, give a product a “light” texture, and help preservatives penetrate deeper (sometimes too deep).
But your skin doesn’t love them — especially if you’re sensitive, dry, acne-prone, or dealing with rosacea, eczema, or barrier damage.

✅ Fatty Alcohols (the good ones):

Not all alcohols are evil. These ones are rich, emollient, and barrier-safe:

• Cetearyl Alcohol

• Behenyl Alcohol

• Cetyl Alcohol

They're technically alcohols, but they act more like buttery moisturisers. We use Cetearyl Olivate in our Foxtrot emulsifiers, and it’s gentle enough for babies.

Why We’re (Mostly) Alcohol-Free

At Foxtrot, we don’t use drying alcohols in any of our formulations — not in cleansers, not in mists, not in moisturisers. Why?

Because:

• They strip your skin barrier

• They disrupt your microbiome

• They’re cheap filler in products that should be nourishing you

Instead, we use:

• Hydrosols + aloe for freshness

• Glycerin + tremella mushroom for hydration

• Natural ferments + probiotics for preservation and balance

How to Read a Label Like a Pro

If you see “Alcohol” or “Alcohol Denat.” high up on an ingredient list — and it’s not a spot treatment or deodorant — you should be asking why the f*ck it’s there.

If you see fatty alcohols at the bottom, like “Cetearyl Alcohol” or “Behenyl Alcohol,” don’t panic — those are skin conditioners, not skin terrorists.

TL;DR?

We’re alcohol-free — unless we’re drinking wine.
Your skin barrier deserves better than cheap shortcuts.
Foxtrot is here to hydrate, not dehydrate.