Hand sanitizer, if you read the ingredient list, is mostly alcohol. That doesn’t mean it should be your new favorite cocktail to take into the shower, but rather should teach you how alcohol’s chemical properties help sanitize your hands. According to Dr. Peterson Pierre, founder of the Pierre Skin Care Institute, alcohol acts to break down the lipids or fats in bacteria and virus’ cell walls, effectively killing them. But there is a flip side to this germ-killing superpower. “Alcohol and propylene glycol draw moisture out of the face,” Dr. Pierre told The List. “It’s the process of osmosis; the moisture is going to travel from your skin to where it’s needed, and since alcohol has less (moisture) it’s going to go in that direction.”

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