According to Dr. Charlotte Birnbaum of Spring Street Dermatology in New York City, "Alcohol or ethanol are often found in toners and other skin care products. While they can degrease the skin, they can be very irritating and drying, stripping your skin of its protective barrier."
Not only can this dryness make your skin look duller and older, but it has other negative side effects as well.
Birnbaum continues, "It does little to improve skin and the dryness it causes prevents tolerability of more proven anti-aging and anti-acne ingredients like retinols."
With that in mind, alcohol in skincare products like serums--which are typically applied before anti-aging moisturizers and creams--can make their anti-aging properties less effective.
She recommends avoiding alcohol in all skincare products.
"Avoid products with ethanol, denatured alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, SD alcohol, or benzyl alcohol," she explains.
Staying away from serums--or any skincare products--that contain alcohol is a good start to keeping your skin looking its best.