A fan of Paula’s recently sent us a transcript of an online chat he had with a customer service representative from the Murad brand. He was inquiring about the prominence of denatured alcohol (the type of alcohol Paula recommends avoiding) in one of the company’s pore-refining products. He was, wisely, inquiring about why Dr. Murad would use such a drying, irritating ingredient in a skin-care product.

He sent us the chat transcript he had with the Murad customer service representative, here’s their response:

“Some Murad products do contain a certain type of alcohol. Alcohol, in the context of cosmetic formulations, is a frequently misunderstood ingredient. This is despite the fact that it can be extremely beneficial in a particular formula. A mild cosmetic alcohol, Specially Denatured (SD) Alcohol (SDA) is an excellent delivery vehicle commonly used in astringents, toners, and gels. SD Alcohol is not necessarily dehydrating to the skin when it is mixed with other moisture-binding ingredients.”

Since this information conflicted with what Paula has written about this type of alcohol, he decided to ask us why Paula’s opinion about alcohol differs from Murad’s. I’m glad he did, because what the Murad representative told him was at the very least misleading but mostly it was just false. Paula and I were both appalled. Here was our response:

“The issue isn’t that Paula has a different opinion. Alcohol being damaging to skin isn’t about opinion any more then saying at night the moon rises and in the morning it sets. Alcohol (meaning SD alcohol, methanol, ethanol, or benzyl alcohol) in terms of being a skin irritant, generating free radical damage, causing cell death, and damaging the skin’s barrier are the facts as demonstrated by extensive published research. (Sources: Clinical Experimental Dermatology, September 2009, online, Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology, November 2008, page 26; Alcohol Research and Health, 2003, Volume 27, Issue 4, pages 277-284).

There is nothing to “misunderstand” about alcohol as it’s used in cosmetics, especially when it is one of the main ingredients. Yes, it can de-grease skin and prompt a shine-free finish and because it disrupts the skin’s barrier it is a vehicle to get ingredients into skin. However, lots of other ingredients can do that without the inherent risks to skin health alcohol presents.

There is no such thing as a “mild cosmetic alcohol” any more then there is a mild consumable martini. SD alcohol refers to ethanol (pure alcohol) that has been “specially denatured” so it is unfit for drinking. It is absolutely not a case of a unique alcohol that’s somehow made gentle enough for inclusion in cosmetics.

The Murad representative was right that alcohol is less dehydrating to skin when it is mixed with other moisturizing ingredients, but why mitigate the damage and just not include it in the first place? I would love to see Murad, or anyone else for that matter, present research showing any benefit alcohol has in skin care products.

Overall, aside from this issue, Dr. Murad has perhaps the largest selection of poorly formulated products I’ve seen. He tends to use irritating ingredients with no rhyme or reason or proven benefit to skin. Of course, Murad has some good products, too (I’m bracing myself for the vitriol from the Murad fans out there) but by and large this isn’t a line with a creator who understands the problems that occur when skin is repeatedly subjected to irritating ingredients without a benefit.

The 3rd edition of my book The Beauty Bible will be out next month! It just blows me away as to how much new information there is. Everything from controversies in sunscreens, the organic natural debate/hysteria, antioxidants, inflame-aging., and on and on has all new research and studies concluding different aspects of how best to take care of skin.

Perhaps the most stunning part for me is the research of why irritating ingredients are so bad for skin but in particular oily skin. This is where my endless recommendations and nagging not to use alcohol or menthol, citrus, eucalyptus, volatile fragrance components (natural or otherwise) makes even more sense. It turns out irritating ingredients can stimulate oil production by triggering a neurogenic response that release androgen receptors in the pore thus producing more oil. (Sources: Archives of Dermatologic Research, July 2008, pages 311–316; Dermatology, January 2003, pages 17–23; and Medical Electron Microscopy, March 2001, pages 29–40.) This means when you use products that contain irritating ingredients, though you may initially feel less oily because they decrease the oil on the surface of skin, they stimulate the pore to make more oil then you hade before which creates an endless cycle.

Kevin Katechis and Paula Begoun

My team and I recently reviewed the retinol products sold under the Green Cream brand. Despite lots of consumer interest in these products, I reported that none of them were worth the expense or even mild curiosity because all of them contained way too much alcohol. Retinol is a great ingredient for skin, and its many benefits are well-documented. However, Green Cream’s attempt to offer their own retinol products is a dismal failure, at least in comparison to numerous retinol products from other brands. Kevin Katechis, the founder and president of Advanced Skin Technology, the company behind Green Cream blogged that I was “factually incorrect” in some of my statements, I would like to respond and offer the following information point-by-point:

• I incorrectly stated that Advanced Skin Technology company that makes Grean Cream does not sell pre- and post-surgical treatment products. Another company with the same name Advanced Skin Technology does.
• Mr. Katechis did not like my criticism of his company only offering retinol products. While retinol is a “performance-based” ingredient as Green Cream claims, so are countless others, including basic staples like cleansing agents, dozens of antioxidants, and even plain old glycerin. Katechis mentions in his blog that retinol has successfully treated over 150 skin ailments. Quite a boast, and one that isn’t supported by abundant research. A medical study search doesn’t even bring up even close to that number. I’ve seen research showing retinol is primarily helpful for wrinkles, sun damage, and limited research about a couple other problems such as psoriais, but that’s about it. I would love to see the research Katechis has because it isn’t in the scientific literature.
• He was confused that on one hand I commend Dr. Terezakis (the physician who formulated Green Cream) for keeping things simple and then state that it’s bad their product range is so limited. I clearly state in my review a simple approach to skin care isn’t a bad philosophy, but then I explain that Green Cream may be simple but the products are badly formulated due to their alcohol content.
• Katechis also took issue with my statement that his company was trying to skirt the issue of alcohol in their products by listing it as ethanol. He’s right that ethanol is the technical name for common alcohol, but incorrect that the FDA requires cosmetic products that contain alcohol to be labeled as “ethanol”. They only require drugs to be labeled that way and cosmetics must be labeled as either SD Alcohol (followed by a number), or denatured alcohol or in the EU as alcohol denat, a cosmetics company cannot just list ethanol.

What the FDA does state on their Web site is “If a cosmetic is also a drug, the label must list first the established name of the drug ingredient(s) and the quantity, kind and proportion of any alcohol, in compliance with sec. 502(e) of the FD&C Act, as “Active Ingredients” and then the remaining ingredients, in compliance with § 701.3(a) or (f), as “Cosmetic Ingredients.” The problem? None of the Green Cream products are considered drugs! That means ideally the ethanol should’ve been listed as SD-alcohol followed by a number indicating how the alcohol was denatured (made to taste bad if ingested) or ethanol denatured.

• Lastly, Katechis sent links to a handful of studies concerning retinol and/or retinoic acid and the use of ethanol (alcohol) as a vehicle for delivering retinol to the skin. He states that if alcohol is not used, retinol will sit on the surface of skin and be more irritating. What nonsense! Alcohol functions as a solvent and a penetration enhancer, which means that yes, it can help retinol get into the skin more efficiently. But its volatile characteristics and biological profile are irritating and drying for skin and alcohol causes free radical damage, so essentially all you’re doing is carrying that irritation and free radical damage deeper into skin.

There are several other ingredients that help retinol penetrate better without making it potentially more irritating. I reviewed all of the studies he sent and none of them were specifically about alcohol (ethanol) being a necessary factor required for retinol to perform as expected or be less irritating. The studies simply used alcohol in a solution, which is common to many types of lab and animal experiments. One of the studies was about retinoic acid and L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) as being a more potent combination for sun-damaged skin, while another examined retinol’s effect on covered vs. uncovered skin. The retinol was suspended in an alcohol base, but that had nothing to do with the functionality of the retinol, so the rationale that alcohol is needed for the best retinol performance is not factual. In fact, I would suggest the research about alcohol shows that because of its inherent negative effect on skin it would hamper the retinol’s effectiveness. Virtually all of the products I’ve reviewed containing retinol do not use alcohol, and prescription retinoids almost never use alcohol. Katechis’ statement about alcohol being necessary to prevent the retinol from sitting on top of the skin doesn’t explain why so many retinol products offer controlled-release formulas for the purpose of, you guessed it, minimizing irritation that can occur when retinol penetrates too quickly. The blog goes on to question my credentials and mention that I’d write more accurate reviews if I actually bothered to understand ingredients and how they work, plus, of course, try the product. My credentials are outlined on my Web site and always detailed in my books and on my Web site Beautypedia.com. But most importantly, in my review I cite the studies I used to base my opinions on. You can use that for my credentials more so than anything else. And as I have stated numerous times before, I won’t review a product based only on my personal experience with it. All that would tell my readers is how a particular product worked for me, based on my skin type, the climate where I live, and my personal preferences, which may not be yours. Such information may be nice for some people to know, but I prefer to analyze a skin-care product based on its ingredient list, claims, and what published research says about both. I am willing to bet that had I wrote a favorable review of the Green Cream products, my credentials and research wouldn’t be questioned. Shortsighted comments like that only tend to occur when I don’t like products. When it comes to retinol products, there are dozens of them that I review favorably—and all of them are preferred to any of the retinol products from Green Cream.