DRYING ALCOHOL
Alcohol Denat.
- drying alcohol
Fast-drying alcohol used to make sprays set quickly. In leave-on products it can leave hair feeling dry, especially in high position on the list.
- products in our library
- 352
- of researched products
- 9%
- on the label, in our styling hairsprays
- usually #1
- most common in
- Styler: hairspray
- in water
- Volatile
At a glance
Four named levels, read from this ingredient’s chemical class, its charge, its solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have. More dots means more of the property named — never “better”.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
How fast it leaves after the product is applied.
What is still on the hair once it has evaporated.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | None left behind | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Drying speed | Fast | 5 of 5 |
| Residue | None | 1 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Alcohol Denat. does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Lets a spray dry quickly; it does not stay on the hair.
What everything else is dissolved in before it reaches your hair.
It carries the formula onto the hair and then leaves.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Evaporates after application rather than staying on the hair, so it leaves nothing behind to remove.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: hairspray
62 products
In hairspray, denatured alcohol acts as a fast-evaporating solvent that carries the styling polymers and helps distribute them in a fine spray. As it evaporates, the polymers remain on the hair to form the hold film. Cosmetic Ingredient Review
|
leading · #1 | |
Conditioner
42 products
|
secondary · #27 | |
Shampoo
33 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Styler: texture spray
32 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Finisher: shine spray
31 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Heat protectant
24 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Styler: volumizer
21 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Leave-in
20 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Mask / treatment
18 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Scalp treatment
17 products
|
supporting · #6 |
12 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: gel
16 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: paste
12 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Finisher: serum
10 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: curl cream
9 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Finisher: oil
6 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
3 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Co-wash
2 products
|
secondary · #31 | |
Styler: mousse
2 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Dry shampoo
1 product
|
leading · #1 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
leading · #2 | |
Finisher: end oil
1 product
|
secondary · #32 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
secondary · #18 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Styler: hairspray | 62 | 64% | 1 | 1 | leading |
| Conditioner | 42 | 6% | 27 | 2 | secondary |
| Shampoo | 33 | 4% | 21 | 3 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 32 | 55% | 3 | 1 | leading |
| Finisher: shine spray | 31 | 47% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Heat protectant | 24 | 17% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Styler: volumizer | 21 | 32% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Leave-in | 20 | 5% | 11 | 2 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 18 | 5% | 18 | 1 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 17 | 11% | 6 | 1 | supporting |
| Styler: gel | 16 | 10% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: paste | 12 | 13% | 10 | 5 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 10 | 12% | 4 | 1 | supporting |
| Styler: curl cream | 9 | 9% | 15 | 4 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 6 | 3% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 3 | 5% | 16 | 14 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 2 | 2% | 31 | 19 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 2 | 1% | 12 | 5 | secondary |
| Dry shampoo | 1 | 33% | 1 | 1 | leading |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 4% | 2 | 2 | leading |
| Finisher: end oil | 1 | 11% | 32 | 32 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 8% | 18 | 18 | secondary |
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 235 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 43 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 30 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 53 |
| 26+ | Trace | 69 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Who should pay attention
Conditional formulation guidance, scoped to a hair condition and to the positions where it is meaningful. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, and not a conclusion about you.
May suit hair that needs a fast-drying, lightweight spray base rather than an oil- or wax-led finish.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients or positions 4–8. Researched in our styling hairsprays.Consider if hair is very dry or highly damaged: when alcohol is this prominent, the fast-evaporating base may leave the hair feeling drier.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients or positions 4–8. Researched in our styling hairsprays.Porous hair gives water up easily as it is; a fast-evaporating solvent high on the list accelerates that.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients or positions 4–8.Rows marked “researched” were read for this ingredient and cited below; the rest are read from its chemical class.
Why it matters to shoppers
What this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- a spray that dries almost instantly
- a light, fast-drying formula
- nothing left on the hair
- body without weight on fine hair
- an exact safety score — we do not publish one, for any ingredient
- how a finished product performs by itself — that is the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle — label position never converts into a number
- a primary volatile alcohol near the top of the ingredient list in our styling hairsprays
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
- it is a carrier, not something left on the hair
- damage — this class evaporates rather than staying on hair
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Why some people avoid it
A fast-evaporating solvent. It thins a formula so it sprays, and it makes a styling product set quickly instead of staying wet.
It evaporates fast, and it can take water with it. On hair that is already dry or damaged, a product built on a lot of it can leave the strand drier than it started.
Where regulators stand: Permitted and unrestricted. The fatty alcohols — cetyl, cetearyl, stearyl — share the word and do the opposite job; they are conditioning, and this reading does not count them.
A formulation preference, not a regulatory finding
Commonly paired with
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Hydrofluorocarbon 152a · 111
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 109
- Citronellol · 96
- Benzyl Alcohol · 93
- Tocopherol · 91
- Aminomethyl Propanol · 85
- Butylene Glycol · 80
- Geraniol · 78
- Benzyl Salicylate · 75
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 72
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to carry the formula and let it dry, give it a scent, and deliver a stated effect.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Alterna · Finisher
Caviar Anti-Aging Rapid Repair Spray
#1 on the label · $8.12/oz
American Crew · Styler
Alternator Finishing Spray
#1 on the label · $5.76/oz
American Crew · Styler
Grooming Spray
#1 on the label · $2.10/oz
Andrew Fitzsimons · Finisher
Prism Shine Invisible Shine Hair Spray
#1 on the label · $2.94/oz
Aussie · Styler
Instant Freeze Hairspray Aerosol-Free
#1 on the label · $0.59/oz
Aussie · Styler
Sprunch Hairspray
#1 on the label · $0.71/oz
Aveda · Styler
Air Control Light Hold Hair Spray
#1 on the label · $3.17/oz
Bed Head · Styler
Hard Head Hairspray for Extra Strong Hold
#1 on the label · $1.88/oz
Bed Head · Finisher
Headrush Fragrance & Shine Finishing Spray
#1 on the label · $3.96/oz
Bed Head · Finisher
Headrush Shine Hair Spray
#1 on the label · $3.94/oz
Biolage · Styler
Finishing Spritz Hairspray
#1 on the label · $2.82/oz
Bumble and bumble · Styler
Does It All Light Hold Hairspray
#1 on the label · $3.80/oz
See all 352 products in the library that list Alcohol Denat.
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Alcohol Denat.
- CAS 64-17-5
- PubChem 702
- solvent
- alcohol
- alcohol denat
- alcohol denat. (sd alcohol 40-b)
- denatured alcohol
- denatured alcohol (sd alcohol-40)
- ethanol
- sd 40b alcohol
- sd alcohol 40
- sd alcohol 40-b
- sd alcohol 40-b (alcohol denat.)
- sd alcohol 40-b/alcohol denat
- sd alcohol 40b
For your hair?
Whether Alcohol Denat. matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 7th most-listed solvent or propellant in our libraryWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above is read from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references — the consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Sourced Backed by a manufacturer or regulatory source.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem — Compound identity: CID 702, CAS 64-17-5, C2H6O · accessed 2026-08-28
By product type
- Manufacturer or regulatory Cosmetic Ingredient Review — Identity, volatility, and cosmetic use of denatured alcohol, including hair-care products. · accessed 2026-08-27
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 352 of 3928 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are named levels read from an ingredient’s chemical class, charge, solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have — never a score.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry; where none is, the row is simply absent rather than filled in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-08-28. Product-page methodology: the product library.