Denatured Alcohol
The INCI designation Alcohol denat. appears relatively frequently in the list of ingredients of cosmetic products. Many consumers are not even aware of what is behind this, especially since the legislator also plays a major role in the use of denatured alcohol The basic fact is that alcohol is heavily taxed as a stimulant. Every year, the tax on spirits provides high revenues for the coffers of the Federal Ministry of Finance. This applies by no means only to classic alcohol for drinking, but also when it is used in cosmetic products, which, however, are usually not intended for consumption at all. There is a simple reason for this. To date, there is no legal provision under which a manufacturer of cosmetic products can prove that the alcohol is used only for cosmetic purposes and not as a stimulant. There is also no provision for a tax refund for manufacturers.
Section 139 of the Spirits Monopoly Act states, mutatis mutandis, that tax-exempt use requires a separate permit. This permission is granted under certain conditions and upon application. For cosmetic products, however, this permission has so far been refused because there is no corresponding provision for proof.
The high tax therefore makes alcohol an extremely expensive additive in cosmetics. That is why denatured alcohol (Alcohol denat.) is available as an alternative. The German Federal Ministry of Finance states quite clearly on the subject of denatured alcohol: “The tax-free use of alcohol for the manufacture of cosmetic preparations is not possible without proper denaturing.” But what is denatured alcohol?
This is how denatured alcohol is formed
Denaturing means adding denaturants to alcohol to make it unusable for drinking and drinking purposes. In this way, “improper use” can be practically ruled out. State regulation for the taxation of alcohol thus leads to the use of denaturants, but this also means that denaturing is in itself a means of tax supervision. And denaturants are nothing more than substances intended to denature the consumer’s appetite so that he or she does not even think of drinking or consuming a cosmetic product containing denatured alcohol. In many cases, however, denatured alcohol does not benefit the quality of cosmetics. The reason: phthalic acid esters (phthalates) are by far the most frequently used denaturants. And these are anything but harmless, because they are said to interfere with hormone balance, among other things, even though the legislator officially permits some substances. Diethyl phthalate (phthalic acid diethyl ester/abbreviated to DEP) is particularly worthy of mention in this context. According to the spirits tax ordinance, the concentration in the alcohol must be at least 0.5 percent. The Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety already reported that the DEP concentrations in some (own) measurements exceeded 1.0 percent and thus corresponded to twice the value actually prescribed by the spirits tax ordinance. It is well known that phthalates are widely used in industry as plasticizers, among other things. In connection with children’s toys, they are considered particularly controversial. For this reason, Annex 1 of the Cosmetics Ordinance contains several phthalates that must not be used in the manufacture of cosmetics under any circumstances. These include bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid dipentylester (branched and linear) and several other substances.
However, even the officially approved DEP is considered to be of concern in denatured alcohol In a study conducted in 2008, scientists examined the urine of 163 infants born between 2000 and 2005. The results were alarming: phthalates were detected whose concentrations correlated with the number of skin care products used during this period. From a toxicological point of view, manufacturers of cosmetic products should therefore definitely avoid DEP: also for denatured alcohol.
Denatured alcohol and the lack of consumer education
In principle, only one INCI designation is provided for the use of denatured alcohol: Alcohol denat. This means that consumers in this country do not know at all which denaturants have been used. In America, for example, this is different, where the declaration provides information about the type of denaturant. German consumers who want to be on the safe side could, in principle, do without alcohol in cosmetics. However, it is also a very important extraction agent for natural extracts. It can replace preservatives, as it has an antimicrobial effect above a certain concentration, but without triggering allergies.
Substances such as anise acid and triethyl citrate are frequently used in natural cosmetics. Triethyl citrate is a citric acid ester and, among other things, a frequent ingredient in deodorants, as it inhibits sweat-decomposing bacterial enzymes. Read more about triethyl citrate in our entry.
Anise acid is a methoxybenzoic acid found in small amounts in the oil of plants such as anise and vanilla. It is both an ether and a carboxylic acid and has been widely used in the past as an antiseptic, antirheumatic, and preservative, respectively.
In our article alcohol in cosmetics you can learn more about “good” and “bad” alcohols and their function in cosmetic products.
Denaturant profiles for Alcohol denat.
Diethyl phthalate (DEP)
INCI: Diethyl Phthalate
CAS number: 84-66-2
Einecs number: 201-550-6
Definition: organic compound, belongs to the group of phthalates
Use: as plasticizer, formulation aid for pesticides, for denatured alcohol
Properties: substance is said to have a hormone-like effect.
Thymol
Alternative name: 2-isopropyl-5-methyl-phenol
CAS number: 89-83-8
Definition: terpenoid natural substance, component of the essential oils of ajwain, thyme, savory and oregano
Action: disinfectant, fungicide and bactericide
Uses: for denatured alcohol as an alternative to DEP (according to spirits tax regulation), for the treatment of fungal skin infections, as a digestive aid
Isopropanol
Alternative name: 2-propanol
CAS number: 67-63-0
Definition: monohydric alcohol
Uses: for denatured alcohol as an alternative to DEP (according to the spirits tax ordinance), solvent for fats, resins and varnishes, production of disinfectants
Special features: Contact causes irritation of eyes and mucous membranes, depending on concentration.
No phthalate denaturant for Alcohol denat. at Cosmacon
Cosmacon no longer uses phthalate denaturants for denatured alcohol and does not use the controversial substances. Cosmacon develops with you and for you high-quality cosmetics that meet your requirements. Feel free to contact us!
Sources:
Phthalate Exposure and Long-Term Epigenomic Consequences: A Review.; Front Genet. 2020 May 6;11:405.
Validation of an aggregate exposure model for substances in consumer products: a case study of diethyl phthalate in personal care products.; J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2015 May;25(3):317-23.