Isopropyl alcohol

On the label: Isopropyl Alcohol · Solvent

What it is

Rubbing alcohol; a solvent and antiseptic that evaporates fast.

Solvents: Solvents dissolve the other ingredients; water is the commonest, followed by alcohols and glycols.

Wikidata: Simplest secondary alcohol. Q16392 →

In the research

453 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:

Apparent superiority of two-step 70% isopropyl alcohol over chlorhexidine alcohol for skin antisepsis prior to blood donation · Transfusion, 2026
Applicator-Based Versus Bulk-Bottle Delivery of the Same Alcoholic Chlorhexidine: A Single-Center, Non-Randomized Pilot Micro-Costing Study of Two Surgical Skin-Antisepsis Workflow · Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2026
Evaluation of Antimicrobial Effectiveness of a Chlorhexidine Gluconate-Impregnated Intravenous Catheter Dressing · The Journal of hospital infection, 2026

A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.

Other solvents

Water Butylene glycol Propylene glycol Propanediol Denatured alcohol Rose water Isododecane Pentylene glycol Hexylene glycol 1,2-hexanediol Dipropylene glycol PEG (polyethylene glycol)

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