25.) VODKA, GRAIN SPIRITS: Alcohol, or ethanol as it is known clinically, is a widely used ingredient in many skin care preparations. It is used as an anti-septic, a preservative, solvent, delivery agent, and a penetration enhancer, just to name a few. It goes by many different names on labels: Alcohol, SD-Alcohol, Grain spirits, Ethanol, Vodka. There are innumerable variations on these depending on what has been added to the alcohol, but they are all basically the same. For the purposes of simplicity, I will refer to the collective group as "alcohol" . I will break down a few of the most commonly used variations and their health safety implications as I go.
The most commonly used type of alcohol in cosmetics is ethanol. That's right, just plain ol' drinking alcohol. The government requires that a bitter additive (usually denatonium benzoate) be mixed into the alcohol to prevent its consumption. This allows cosmetic companies to skirt the licensing requirements in place for alcohol intended for consumption. You'll see this listed on the label as SD-Alcohol or SD-Alcohol 40. "SD" stands for "specially denatured". Denatonium Benzoate is the bitterest compound known. It is not, however, the only additive that may be used. Some of the other additives that may be used to prevent consumption can be quite toxic all on their own.
Labels listing Neutral/NaturalGrain Spirits, Corn-/Vegetable-Derived Alcohol, Denatured Alcohol and Vodka are also widely used in the cosmetics industry, more so in the natural/organic companies. They carry with them label appeal because grain spirits can be called "natural" or "organic". While these alcohols may not have additional chemicals added to them, they doesn't necessarily render them safer for cosmetic use.
The problems come into play when you really look at how the body breaks down that alcohol. Remember, your skin is not just a barrier, but a highly functional organ in its own right. It moves substances both in and out of the body and is capable of breaking down, or metabolizing, different types of chemicals.
Ethanol itself is not classified as a carcinogen, however, the first metabolic product (the first thing your body breaks alcohol down into) is acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is more toxic than the ethanol itself, is mutagenic (causes genetic mutation), and carcinogenic (possible contributor to cancer).
Acetaldehyde attacks the collagen and elastin that holds skin together, reducing the elasticity and firmness. It robs the body of vitamin C, a crucial nutrient for healthy skin, and dilates blood vessels, leading to broken veins (telangiectasia).
One study showed measurable blood concentrations of ethanol, and its metabolite acetaldehyde, after regular application of ethanol on the skin. Think about how many products you use regularly that contain high levels of alcohol. Do you use alcohol- based hand sanitizer? What about your favorite body lotion, you know, the one that soaks in so fast? Turn it over and read the ingredients, I'd be willing to bet one of the first 5 ingredients (and more than likely one of the first 3) is some type of alcohol. Take a look in your bathroom cabinet and your make-up bag. Is it showing up in your foundation, your blemish-remedy, your shampoo?
Suddenly your "natural" deodorant spray doesn't look so natural anymore. Especially not when you consider you are directly applying that alcohol based deodorant spray over the highly receptive lymphatic glands in your underarms. The EWG's SkinDeep Chemical Database flagged this ingredient as a 5, out of the safe "green zone". SkinDeep citied concerns about cancer, reproductive and developmental toxicity, and organ system toxicity as well as other issues. (see link here: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ingredient.php?ingred06=700215 )
We need to be especially vigilant when applying these products to our children, whose bodies are unable to fully process toxins until they are between 7-9 years of age. I have never really understood the point behind putting such a harsh ingredient in products designed specifically for babies and children. If it is as bad as we have seen for a fully grown adult, how much more toxic is it for them?
Most alcohol-based research focuses on oral consumption of alcohol, and justifiably so considering the enormous health impact it poses. Without a large quantity of definitive research on the long-term effects of ethanol absorption through the skin, there will not be any reason for large companies to remove this ingredient from their products. The best we can do until then is take preventative measures.
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