Does witch hazel contain alcohol?
Usually yes. Standard drugstore witch hazel is distilled with alcohol and sits at around 14%. Alcohol-free versions exist, keep the tannins and sting far less.
Witch hazel is a plant extract that degreases and tightens skin. Most drugstore bottles are about 14% alcohol, so it is a gentler version of the same idea. Rubbing alcohol is a disinfectant. Its job is killing germs on surfaces and on skin before a needle, and it is far too harsh to use as a face product.
| The difference | Witch Hazel | Rubbing alcohol |
|---|---|---|
| What is in the bottle | A plant extract, usually with alcohol | 70% or 91% isopropyl alcohol |
| What it does on skin | Tightens and degreases | Kills germs and strips oil |
| What it is genuinely good for | Oily patches and irritated skin | Surfaces and equipment |
| Cost | Very cheap | Cheaper still |
Side by side
Witch Hazel
A plant extract, usually with alcohol
An extract from the bark and leaves of the witch hazel shrub, rich in tannins. Standard drugstore witch hazel is distilled and sits at around 14% alcohol.
Rubbing alcohol
70% or 91% isopropyl alcohol
Alcohol and water, and nothing else. The 70% version kills germs better than the 91% one, because it needs some water to do the job.
Witch Hazel
Tightens and degreases
Tannins make skin feel taut and briefly shrink the look of pores. The alcohol takes surface oil away with it.
Rubbing alcohol
Kills germs and strips oil
It kills bacteria on the surface within seconds, and removes nearly all the oil at the same time.
Witch Hazel
It will not clean your face
Wiping it over unwashed skin leaves the makeup and the sunscreen behind. It is a step after cleansing, not a cleanser.
Rubbing alcohol
It will not treat a spot
A pimple forms below the surface, inside the follicle. Surface germs are not the problem, so dabbing alcohol on a spot does nothing for it.
Witch Hazel
Sometimes, in small amounts
Some people with oily skin tolerate it a few times a week on the T-zone. Dry, sensitive, rosacea-prone or eczema-prone skin usually does not.
Rubbing alcohol
No
It is far too strong for facial skin. Daily use strips the barrier, causes flaking and stinging, and can leave the skin oilier than it started.
Witch Hazel
Not the job
It is not a wound antiseptic and it will not sterilise anything.
Rubbing alcohol
Not on broken skin
Alcohol on an open wound stings badly and damages the cells trying to heal. Rinse a graze under running water and use plain soap around it.
Witch Hazel
Oily patches and irritated skin
A short-lived matte finish on an oily T-zone, and cooling relief on insect bites, razor burn and hemorrhoids, which is where most witch hazel is actually used.
Rubbing alcohol
Surfaces and equipment
Wiping down phones, tweezers, nail tools and thermometers, and cleaning skin right before an injection or a finger-prick test.
Witch Hazel
Tightness, flaking and stinging
Daily use of the alcohol version is the usual cause. Tight skin gets read as clean, when it usually means the barrier has just been stripped.
Rubbing alcohol
Dryness, cracking and burning
It removes the fats that hold water in the skin. It also evaporates fast, dries out in an open bottle, and is flammable.
Witch Hazel
Very cheap
One of the least expensive products in any pharmacy, and a bottle lasts months.
Rubbing alcohol
Cheaper still
Sold in larger bottles for less money.
Witch Hazel
That is why witch hazel feels the way it does. The alcohol evaporates in seconds, takes surface oil with it, and leaves skin matte and tight. People read that feeling as clean.
Alcohol-free witch hazel exists and is worth looking for. It keeps the tannins and drops most of the sting. If you like using witch hazel, that is the version to buy.
Witch Hazel
Witch hazel does a few things genuinely well. Tannins are mildly astringent and mildly anti-inflammatory. On an insect bite, on razor burn, on hemorrhoids, or on an oily T-zone before makeup, a witch hazel pad is cheap, easy and soothing.
Rubbing alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is a disinfectant, not a skincare product. It kills germs quickly on a hard surface or on intact skin just before a needle goes in. It does that job extremely well.
Common questions
Usually yes. Standard drugstore witch hazel is distilled with alcohol and sits at around 14%. Alcohol-free versions exist, keep the tannins and sting far less.
For anything you put on your face, yes. Rubbing alcohol is 70% or higher and strips the barrier. Witch hazel is far milder, though it is still drying if you use it every day.
It will not help. A spot forms deep inside the follicle, and surface germs are not the cause. Alcohol dries and irritates the skin around it, which usually makes the area look worse.
No. It stings badly and damages the cells that are trying to heal. Rinse a graze under running water and use plain soap around the edges.
Only for an hour or two. Tannins tighten the skin around the opening so pores look smaller, then it wears off. Pore size itself does not change.
Insect bites, razor burn, hemorrhoids, and taking the shine off an oily T-zone. Those are the uses it does well and cheaply.