Rubbing alcohol for acne: the AAD says to avoid it

No trial has tested rubbing alcohol on acne, and the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) tells people with acne to keep it off their skin. Its page on habits that can worsen acne says: "You also want to avoid using astringents, rubbing alcohol, and anything else that can dry out your skin." The label on the bottle lists one use, which is first aid for minor cuts, scrapes and burns. This page is part of Skinli's guide to home remedies for acne.

Skinli gives general education and is not a doctor. For the studies below, Skinli read the published summaries (abstracts). No source read for this guide gives a way to use rubbing alcohol on acne, so this page gives none.

What the label on the bottle says

Rubbing alcohol is sold in the United States as a drug, and each bottle carries a Drug Facts label. The FDA explains the two lines of that label that matter most. The active ingredient is "The substance(s) in the product that cause the intended therapeutic effect." The uses are the "Symptoms or diseases the product will treat or prevent."

This is the label of a 70 percent rubbing alcohol on DailyMed, the label database of the US National Library of Medicine:

Label line	What it says
Active ingredient	"Isopropyl alcohol (70% conc.)"
Purpose	"First aid antiseptic"
Use	"first aid to help prevent the risk of infection in minor cuts, scrapes and burns"
Warnings	"flammable, keep away from fire or flame" and "use only in a well-ventilated area; fumes may be toxic"
When using it	"do not get into eyes", "do not apply over large areas of the body" and "do not use longer than one week unless directed by a doctor"
Stop and ask a doctor if	"condition persists or gets worse"

An antiseptic is a product made to kill germs on the skin. The only other ingredient is purified water. A 91 percent label from another seller carries the same use. Acne and pimples appear on neither label, and the label says to get medical help or call a Poison Control Center right away if the liquid is swallowed.

One published case involved a large area of the body. A 1986 report describes a child who reached a dangerous blood level of isopropyl alcohol after being sponged with it for a fever, and the authors could not rule out that the child also swallowed some. They then put alcohol-soaked towels on 12 rabbits and concluded "that skin absorption is a significant factor in isopropyl alcohol toxicity". The rabbit tests ran for 4 hours with the towel on the chest. No source measures a small amount on one pimple.

No study has tested rubbing alcohol on acne

The searches run for this guide found no study of rubbing alcohol on acne in people. The NHS acne page and the NICE acne guideline for England do not mention it.

The patient pages that do mention alcohol all advise against it:

• AAD, habits that can worsen acne. The line quoted at the top of this page.
• AAD, face masks. Its list of mask ingredients to avoid includes: "Rubbing alcohol, which can dry out your skin."
• AAD, face washing. "Use a gentle, non-abrasive cleanser that does not contain alcohol."
• AAD, oily skin. "DON'T use oil-based or alcohol-based cleansers. These can irritate your skin."
• AAD, acne tips. The page says to use gentle skin care products that say alcohol-free on the label.
• MedlinePlus, acne self-care. This page from the US National Library of Medicine tells readers to avoid rubbing alcohol and toners that dry the skin.

The AAD's acne pages name a maker of prescription acne drugs as their supporter.

What alcohol did to skin in hand rub studies

The closest studies tested alcohol hand rubs, the type used in hospitals, on hands and forearms. None of them put rubbing alcohol on a face or on acne.

Study	What was tested	What it found
2007, British Journal of Dermatology	Three alcohols at 60 to 100 percent, one of them isopropyl alcohol, held on the skin under small patches, in groups of 15 volunteers	The water content of the skin fell. Redness did not change, and neither did the skin barrier, the outer layer that holds water in
2021 review, Contact Dermatitis	Studies of two alcohols, one of them isopropyl alcohol, published from 2000 to 2019	"recent studies indicate a higher risk of skin irritation for n-propanol and isopropanol than reported in the past"
2025, Contact Dermatitis	Four finished hand sanitizers and plain alcohols on 48 healthy volunteers over 3 days	"Most ABVHRs demonstrated a better skin irritation profile than pure ethanol (80%) and isopropanol (70%)."

ABVHRs are the finished hand sanitizers in the 2025 study. Isopropanol is another name for isopropyl alcohol, and 70 percent is the strength on the rubbing alcohol label above. The 2021 review also found that an alcohol combined with a detergent, a cleaning ingredient in many washes, irritated skin more than the same irritant used alone.

Two of these papers were written to judge hand rubs for health workers. The 2007 study and the 2021 review both found that alcohol rubs irritated hands less than frequent washing with detergent. The finding that matters for a face is the loss of water from the skin.

Why dry skin matters when you have acne

The AAD explains the problem in a few lines. "Skin with acne is oily, so it can be tempting to apply astringent and acne treatments until your face feels dry. Don't. Dry skin is irritated skin." It adds: "Anytime you irritate your skin, you risk getting more acne."

Its page on moisturizer gives the reason: "When your skin becomes dry, your body makes more oil. The extra oil can clog your pores, which may lead to more breakouts." Its oily skin page says the same about harsh washing: "using a face wash that is too harsh can irritate your skin and trigger increased oil production."

Rubbing alcohol is made to kill germs, and acne has more than one cause. The AAD says: "Bacteria, clogged pores, oil, and inflammation can all cause acne." On another page it says "Acne isn't an infection", and an AAD news release from 2025 adds: "Not all acne, however, is caused by bacteria." No source read for this guide says that wiping the surface of the skin with alcohol reaches bacteria inside a clogged pore.

The AAD also describes the habit of treating only the spots you can see: "It makes sense to treat what you see, but this approach fails to prevent new breakouts."

If your skin already feels tight or flaky, the AAD's advice is short: "If your skin feels dry, apply a moisturizer made for acne-prone skin." The guides on moisturizer for acne-prone skin and on a damaged skin barrier cover what to look for.

Rubbing alcohol on a popped or open pimple

A popped pimple is a small open wound, and the label does cover minor cuts. The patient pages on small wounds name soap and water.

• AAD wound care page: "Gently wash the area with mild soap and water to keep out germs and remove debris." It then names petroleum jelly, because "wounds with scabs take longer to heal."
• NHS page on cuts and grazes: "Clean the wound by rinsing it with bottled or tap water, or by using sterile wipes." The page does not mention alcohol.
• MedlinePlus page on cuts: "Then, wash the cut thoroughly with mild soap and water." This page does not mention alcohol either.

A 2013 review of wound cleaning lists alcohol among the active cleaning agents, and says of that list: "the majority of which are locally toxic and of limited or no proven efficacy in enhancing wound healing." It reports that "the consensus opinion is that these topical cleaning agents should not be routinely used". The review is about long-lasting wounds, and its first author worked at a health care consulting firm.

The AAD says popping carries its own risk: "When you pop pimples yourself, you also run the risk of getting an infection from the bacteria on your hands." For a pimple that is already open, see what to do after popping a pimple. The page on hydrogen peroxide for acne covers the other antiseptic that many homes keep.

What the AAD, the NHS and the FDA rule support

Source	What it names for acne	What it says about alcohol
AAD, for a deep, painful pimple	"adapalene, azelaic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or salicylic acid"	Its habits page says to avoid rubbing alcohol
NHS acne page	"try acne treatments you put on your skin such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide"	The page does not mention it
MedlinePlus acne self-care page	Store products that "may contain benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, adapalene, resorcinol, or salicylic acid"	It says to avoid rubbing alcohol
FDA rule for acne drugs sold without a prescription	Benzoyl peroxide at 2.5 to 10 percent, salicylic acid at 0.5 to 2 percent, sulfur at 3 to 10 percent, and sulfur combined with resorcinol	Isopropyl alcohol is absent from the list

MedlinePlus says of the store products it names: "They work by killing bacteria, drying up skin oils, or causing the top layer of your skin to peel." These products hold ingredients that have been tested on acne. Adapalene is a retinoid, a medicine related to vitamin A, and the AAD says acne treatment that contains it is sold online and in stores.

Tested acne drugs can dry the skin as well. The FDA rule makes each of them carry this line: "skin irritation and dryness is more likely to occur if you use another topical acne medication at the same time." Skinli's guide to salicylic acid vs benzoyl peroxide compares the two ingredients that the NHS names.

How long tested treatments take, and when to see a doctor

No source gives a speed for rubbing alcohol on acne. For tested treatments, the AAD says: "If you don't see results in 4 to 6 weeks, a dermatologist can help you clear your skin." Skinli's own guides say skin needs 8 to 12 weeks to change.

Stop using rubbing alcohol on your face and ask a doctor if the skin stays red, sore or cracked. The label gives the same instruction for any condition that "persists or gets worse".

For the acne itself, the NHS says to see a GP, which is a family doctor, if "you have lots of spots, or the spots are deep, painful or causing scars". It also lists "signs of a skin infection, such as hot, swollen and red skin (redness can be harder to see on brown and black skin)". The AAD says to see a dermatologist when acne causes cysts and nodules, which are deep blemishes that can leave scars when they clear.