Ingredient
Isopropyl Alcohol
A fast-evaporating alcohol used as a solvent, most often in toners and cleansing products.
What it is there to do
Solvent
Dissolves and carries the other ingredients.
Where this comes up
The notes BeautySignal puts beside this ingredient when it is on a label.
- Contains a volatile alcohol
This product contains a low-molecular-weight alcohol. These evaporate quickly and are used to make a formula feel light; whether that suits you depends on your skin and the rest of the formula.
Why we mention it
Volatile alcohols are widely discussed as "drying". The effect depends heavily on concentration and what else is in the formula, so this is presented as context rather than as a warning.
What we don't know
- Where it comes from — plant, mineral, synthetic — isn't recorded.
- No published rule in our reference names it. That is about the rules, not safety.
- How much of it is used in any particular product. We hold no concentrations at all.
Also written as
- Isopropanol
This is information about an ingredient, not medical advice, and not a judgement about any product that contains it. Back to the reference.