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.
